PROM  THE  NATURE  BOOKS 
Op  'RENE  OWEN 


The   Birds 

About   Us 


By 
CHARLES  CONRAD  ABBOTT,  M.D. 

Author  of  Recent   Rambles 
Travels  in  a  Tree -Top,  etc. 


Philadelphia 
J.  B.  Lippincott  Company 

.895 


COPYRIGHT,  1894, 

BY 
J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY. 


NTED  BY  J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY,  PHILADELPHIA,  U.  S.  A. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION. 


THE  fact  that  a  second  edition  of  this  volume  is  so 
soon  required  is  the  source  of  much  personal  gratifi- 
cation to  the  author. 

The  purpose  of  the  work  is  twofold :  to  give  a 
necessarily  brief  but  correct  idea  of  the  variety  and 
character  of  bird-life  almost  everywhere  about  us,  and 
to  rouse  such  an  interest  in  our  birds  in  the  minds 
of  readers  that  they  will  be  ready  to  act  as  their 
defenders  rather  than  persecutors.  Until  the  im- 
pression is  firmly  grounded  in  the  minds  of  young 
people  that  birds  are  more  interesting  alive  than 
dead,  and  the  fact  is  recognized  by  all  that  bird-life, 
as  a  whole,  is  pre-eminently  useful,  there  will  continue 
that  criminal  destruction  of  our  feathered  friends 
which  has  already  proved  disastrous  to  many  sections 
of  the  country.  That  an  era  of  saner  views  may  soon 
be  ushered  in  is  the  desire  of  the  author. 

Grateful  acknowledgment  is  here  made  of  many 
courtesies  shown  by  the  Curators  of  the  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia  to  the  author, 
while  preparing  the  text  and  illustrations  of  the 
work. 

C.  C.  A. 

TRENTON,  N.  J.,  January,  1895. 


2040506 


CONTENTS. 


FAGB 

INTRODUCTION 9-21 

CHAPTER    I. 

THE  PERCHING   BIRDS. 

Classification  of  North  American  birds — Thrushes — Blue- 
bird —  Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher — Kinglets  —  Nuthatches — 
Titmice — Tree-creeper — Wrens — Marsh-wrens  and  nests 
— Thrasher  —  Cat-bird  —  Mocking-bird :  Its  remarkable 
song — American  Dipper :  Its  curious  nesting  habits- 
Aquatic  habits  of  land  birds 23~54 

CHAPTER    II. 

THE  PERCHING  BIRDS. — (Continued.) 

Titlark — Wood-warblers:  Their  migratory  habits:  Varia- 
tion of  song-power — Myrtle-bird — Redstart — Maryland 
Yellow-throat — Chat :  Its  curious  habits  and  ventriloquial 
power  —  Accentors  or  Wagtails — Vireos  —  Shrikes — Fly- 
snapper — Cedar-birds — Swallows — Tanagers 55-8? 

CHAPTER  III. 
THE  PERCHING  BIRDS. — (Continued.) 
Sparrows :  Great  variety  of  these  birds :  General  attractive- 
ness— Evening  Grosbeak — fine  Grosbeak — Purple  Finch 
— Cross-bills — Redpolls — Thistle  or  Yellow-bird — Snow- 
bunting — Lapland  Longspur — Grass-finch  or  "  Rut-run- 
ner"— Grasshopper-finch — Sea-side  Sparrows — Peabody- 
bird  and  White-crowned  Sparrow — Tree-sparrow — Snow- 
bird— Song-spnrrow  :  Its  beautiful  song — Swamp-spar- 
row: Curious  habit — Foxie  Finch — Chewink  or  Pipilo: 
Peculiar  habits — Cardinal  Grosbeak:  Its  splendid  song 
— Rose-breasted  Grosbeak:  Its  beauty  of  plumage  and 

ill 


iv  CONTENTS. 

PACK 

superb    singing  —  Indigo-bird  —  Painted     Bunting    and 
"Dickcissal"  .  88-112 


CHAPTER    IV. 
THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.— (Concluded) 

Tyrant  Flycatchers — Fork-tailed  and  Scissor-tailed  Fly- 
catchers: Accidental  occurrence  in  Northern  States — 
Kingbird:  Its  quarrelsome  disposition  —  Great-crested 
Flycatcher :  Use  of  snake-skins  in  nest-building — Pewee 
— Black  Pewee — Olive-sided  Flycatcher — Wood  Pewee — 
Others  of  this  family — Horned  Lark  :  Geographical  races 
of  this  bird — Magpie — Jays — Raven — Crow — Fish-crow 
— Bobolink  or  Reed-bird  —  Cow-bird  —  Yellow-headed 
Troopial — "  Red-wings" — Meadow-lark  —  Orioles — Bal- 
timore or  Hang-nest — Orchard  Oriole :  Song  and  habits — 
Rusty  Grakle  or  Blackbird — Purple  Grakle  or  Crow 
Blackbird :  Enormous  flocks  in  autumn :  Their  value  as 
insect-eaters 1 13-137 

CHAPTER    V. 

THE  GOATSUCKERS,  ETC. 

Whippoorwill :  Its  curious  song  and  habits — Night-hawk — 
Chuck-will's-widow — Chimney-swift:  Not  a  swallow  as 
popularly  supposed:  Curious  nest-building:  Their  great 
value  as  destroyers  of  insects — Humming-bird :  One  spe- 
cies only  in  Eastern  States 138-142 

CHAPTER    VI. 

THE  WOODPECKERS. 

Woodpeckers:  Their  arboreal  habits — Ivory-billed  Wood- 
pecker :  One  time  abundant,  now  rare — Hairy  and  Downy 
Woodpeckers:  Larva-hunters,  but  also  insect-eaters — 
Arctic  Three-toed  Woodpeckers— Yellow-bellied  Sap- 
sucker  :  Its  destructive  habit,  as  name  indicates — Black 
Log-cock  —  Red-headed  Woodpecker  —  Golden-winged 
Woodpecker  or  Flicker :  Not  as  arboreal  as  other  species : 
Curious  habit  said  to  be  true  of  them I43~IS3 


CONTENTS.  v 

CHAPTER    VII. 

THE  CUCKOOS,  ETC. 

Ground-cuckoo  of  Southwest  Territories :  Curious  appear- 
ance and  habits — Yellow-billed  Cuckoo — Black-billed 
Cuckoo  :  Invaluable  as  insect-eaters :  Without  any  objec- 
tionable habits :  Poor  nest-builders,  but  excellent  parents : 
Curious  voices,  hence  the  common  name — Trogons — 
Motmots — Kingfisher :  Common  inland  water-bird :  Nests 
in  the  ground — Carolina  Paroquet :  Once  abundant,  now 
almost  extinct 154-159 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

BIRDS  OF  PREY. 

Their  general  characteristics  and  habits — King  Vulture — 
Turkey-buzzard — Black  Vulture — Swallow-tailed  Hawk : 
Mississippi  Kite — Marsh-hawk — Sharp-shinned  and  other 
small  hawks — Goshawk — Red-tailed  Hawk:  Value  as 
mousers  more  than  compensates  for  poultry  destroyed— 
Broad-winged  Hawk — Red-shouldered  or  Winter  Falcon 
— "  Feather-boots"  or  Black-Hawk — Golden  Eagle— Bald 
Eagle — Gyrfalcons — Peregrine  Falcon  or  Duck-hawk — 
Sparrow-hawk — Osprey  or  Fish-hawk — Owls  :  Their  pe- 
culiarities :  Crepuscular  and  nocturnal  habits :  Also  a  di- 
urnal bird — Barn-owl :  Shrill  voice  of,  when  alarmed : 
Valuable  as  a  mouser — Long-eared  or  Cat-owl :  Interest- 
ing account  of  a  colony  of  these  birds — Marsh-owl — 
Acadian  Owl — Little  Red  or  Screech-owl — Snowy  Owl 
— Hawk-owl — Burrowing-owl — Pygmy-owl 160-186 

CHAPTER    IX. 

OAME-BIRDS  AND   PIGEONS. 

Quail  or  Bob-white — California  Quail— Dusky  Grouse — 
Canada  Grouse — Ruffed  Grouse  or  Pheasant  of  Middle 
States — Ptarmigan  or  White  Grouse — Prairie-chicken  or 
Pinnated  Grouse — Sharp-tailed  Grouse — Wild  Turkey — 
Wild  Pigeon — Turtle-dove:  Curious  nesting  habit  of 

dove  in  Arizona — Ground-dove 187-197 

I* 


vi  CONTENTS. 

PACK 

CHAPTER   X. 

THE  SHORE  BIRDS. 

Shore  birds :  One  time  more  abundant  than  at  present — 
Tumbull's  account  of  those  which  have  become  rare — 
Phalaropes  or  "  Coot-footed  Snipe" — Red  Phalarope — 
Wilson's  Phalarope  —  Stilt — Avocet— Woodcock :  Curi- 
ous courtship  of  this  bird — Common  Snipe — Robin  Snipe 
— The  Sand-pipers :  Their  great  variety — Teeter-Tiltup — 
Solitary  Sand-piper :  Its  nesting  habits — Bartram's  Tattler 
or  Grass  Plover — Peeps  or  Least  Sand-piper — Black-bel- 
lied Plover— Golden  Plover— Other  Plovers — Killdeer: 
An  inland  bird — Turnstone — Oyster-catcher 198-216 

CHAPTER    XL 

HERONS,  RAILS,  ETC. 

Herons :  Their  common  features :  One  time  abundant,  but 
now  less  common  :  Nesting  in  colonies  or  "  heronries"— 
Roseate  Spoon-bill  —  Scarlet  Ibis — Glossy  Ibis — Wood 
Ibis — Common  Bittern  :  Its  curious  cry  or  "  booming :" 
how  produced — Least  Bittern — Great  and  Little  Blue 
Heron — American  Egret  or  Snowy  Heron — Green  Heron 
or  Fly-up-the-Creek  —  Night-heron  —  Yellow-crowned 
Night-heron  —  Cranes:  At  one  time  common  in  New 
Jersey,  when  migrating:  Now  never  seen — Clapper-rail 
— King-rail :  Its  nesting  habits — Virginia  Rail — Sora — 
Yellow-breasted  Rail — Purple  and  Florida  Gallinules — 
Coot  . 217-238 

CHAPTER    XII. 

DUCKS,  GEESE,  AND  SWANS. 

Once  much  more  abundant  than  at  the  present  time — Quo- 
tation from  Peter  Kalm's  travels  in  North  America,  1748- 
1749— Swans — The  Trumpeter  Swan— The  Whistling 
Swan — Wild  Geese:  Eight  species,  but  two  of  which 
common  on  Atlantic  seaboard — Sheldrakes — Ducks — 
Mallard,  Black  Duck,  and  other  species:  Common  in  au- 
tumn in  our  larger  river  valleys — Wood-duck  not  migra- 


CONTENTS.  vii 

MM 

tory  :  Nests  in  hollow  trees — Eider-duck — Surf-ducks  or 
Scoters 239-251 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

PELICANS,  CORMORANTS,  AND   PETRELS. 

Pelican :  No  longer  found  in  Middle  States,  but  at  one  time 
common — White  Pelican — Brown  Pelican — Cormorants — 
Snake-bird  or  Water-turkey— Petrels — Giant  Fulmar- 
Noddy — Gannet— Shearwater— Mother  Carey's  Chickens 
—Albatross 252-265 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

GULLS  AND  TERNS. 

Familiar  birds  of  our  sea-coast  and  along  our  principal  rivers 
and  lakes :  Their  harmlessness,  that  should  insure  protec- 
tion, but  does  not:  Many  varieties:  Habits  not  materially 
different  — Skuas,  Jaegers,  and  Kittiwakes:  Gull-like 
birds,  that  are  strictly  marine :  All  are  scavengers — Laugh- 
ing or  Black-headed  Gull — Herring  Gull — Terns  or  Sea- 
swallows — Wilson's  account  of  nesting  habits  of  terns — 
Skimmer,  Razor-bill,  or  Cut-water 266-276 

CHAPTER    XV. 

THE  DIVING  BIRDS. 

Auks  —  Murres  —  Guillemots  —  Puffins  —  Loons  —  Grebes : 
Mostly  marine  species — Loons,  or  Divers,  and  Grebes  also 
inland  birds,  common  to  rivers,  creeks,  and  ponds — Great 
Auk :  Now  extinct — Little  Auk :  Lockwood's  account  of 
one  kept  in  confinement — Puffin :  Its  curious  box-like 
beak — Loon :  Its  strange  cries :  Sudden  appearance  on 
mill-ponds  and  rivers:  Migratory — Dabchick  or  Devil- 
diver  :  Very  common 277-281 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PLATES. 

PACK 

Bobolink  and  Reed-bird  . Frontispiece. 

Bluebirds 31 

Long-billed  Marsh-wrens  and  Nest 47 

Parula  Warblers  and  Nest 60 

White-eyed  Vireos  and  Nest 68 

Bank  Swallows  and  Nests 77 

Pine  Grosbeaks  and  Cross-bills 88 

Snow-buntings  and  Homed  Larks 93 

Sea-side  Finches  and  Nest 100 

Rose-breasted  Grosbeaks 108 

Tyrant  Flycatchers 114 

Baltimore  Oriole 130 

Purple  Grakles 136 

Ruby-throated  Humming-birds 142 

Bald  Eagle 160 

Duck-hawk 174 

Wild  Turkey 187 

Golden  Plover  and  Turnstone 208 

Killdeer  Plover  (Young) 214 

Spoon-bills  and  White  Herons 217 

Night-herons  and  Nest 220 

Great  Blue  Heron 228 

Clapper-rail  and  Nest 235 

279 

a. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


ENGRAVINGS  IN   THE  TEXT. 

PAGE 

Red-winged  Blackbird 22 

Wood-thrush 24 

Robin 29 

Bluebird 31 

Golden-crowned  Kinglet 33 

Chickadee 37 

Crested  Titmouse 39 

Brown  Tree-creeper 40 

House-wren 43 

Brown  Thrasher 49 

Cat-bird 50 

Myrtle-bird 59 

Redstart -. 62 

Maryland  Yellow-throat 63 

Chat 64 

Shrike 74 

Cedar-bird 76 

Barn-swallow 80 

Scarlet  Tanager 85 

White-throated  Sparrow 98 

Snow-bird loo 

Foxie  Finch 105 

Cardinal  Grosbeak 109 

White-crowned  Sparrow 112 

Blue  Jay 122 

Raven 124 

Meadow-lark 132 

Nest  of  Acadian  Flycatcher 137 

Night-hawk 139 

Yellow-bellied  Sapsucker 147 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS.  xi 

PAGE 

Red-headed  Woodpecker 147 

Flicker 152 

Yellow-billed  Cuckoo 156 

Kingfisher 157 

Red-tailed  Hawk 169 

Sparrow-hawk 175 

Wild  Pigeon 195 

Woodcock 204 

English  Snipe 205 

Solitary  Sand-piper 208 

Killdeer 214 

Coot 238 

Whistling  Swan 243 

Golden-eyed  Duck 246 

Pelican 254 

Gannet 261 

Albatross 264 

Bonaparte's  Gull 270 

Least  Tern 274 


INTRODUCTION. 


IT  is  not  necessary  in  a  book  of  this  character  to 
enter  into  minute  details  as  to  the  anatomy  and 
physiology  of  birds,  important  as  these  are  to  a 
thorough  comprehension  of  bird-life  as  a  whole.  We 
will  pass  over,  too,  the  subject  of  the  relationship 
borne  by  this  class  of  animals  to  the  other  great 
groups  of  the  animate  world. 

It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  birds  are  known  instantly 
by  their  feathers,  a  covering  not  to  be  confounded 
with  any  other,  and  peculiar  to  them.  Birds,  as  we 
know,  are  creatures  of  flight,  but  so  are  insects  and 
some  of  our  mammals,  and  indeed,  in  whatever  way 
we  propose  to  distinguish  this  group  from  the  others, 
it  will  be  found  that  there  are  some  exceptions  to  be 
made,  but  not  one  in  the  matter  of  the  first  distinctive 
feature  that  I  have  mentioned,  that  of  feathers,  which 
are  beautiful  in  themselves  because  of  their  delicate 
structure,  and  often  so  exquisitely  colored  that  they 
rival  the  richest  orchids  of  the  tropical  jungle. 

Feathers  in  some  respects  are  so  far  like  the  hair 
of  mammals  that  a  close  relationship  in  their  nature 
has  been  confidently  asserted ;  but  it  is  now  generally 
agreed  that  the  true  relationship  is  with  the  scales  of 
reptiles,  and  this  is  the  more  probable,  in  that  the 
general  relationship  between  reptiles  and  birds  is  very 

9 


io  INTRODUCTION. 

close,  and  a  bird  away  back  in  Jurassic  time  was  little 
more  than  a  feathered  reptile. 

Birds  are  everywhere.  There  is  no  country  too 
cold  nor  any  territory  too  hot  for  some  of  them  ;  and 
in  those  areas  where  the  extremes  of  climate  occur, 
it  is  not  the  apparently  most  rugged  species  only 
that  are  found :  there  are  as  many  small  and  delicate 
forms  as  those  of  more  sturdy  build.  Birds  are 
everywhere,  in  a  more  restricted  sense.  They  are 
not  given  to  dwelling  in  remote  spots,  far  from  their 
arch-enemy,  man,  but  come  boldly  into  our  towns, 
nest  in  our  door-yards,  and,  as  an  extreme  case, 
sparrows  have  been  known  to  build  in  a  locomotive 
round-house,  where  they  were  hidden  half  the  time 
by  steam,  and  compelled  to  excessive  screeching  to 
make  themselves  heard.  Not  all  birds  are  as  tame 
as  this,  of  course,  but  it  is  safe  to  assert  that  the  very 
wildest  of  them  all  would  be  less  wary  if  man  would 
treat  them  with  more  consideration.  This  has  been 
so  often  demonstrated  that  no  additional  evidence 
need  be  adduced. 

Man's  thoughtlessness  and  greed  have  gone  so  far 
as  to  render  extinct  some  of  our  North  American 
birds  during  the  present  century,  and  others  are 
threatened.  This  is  often  commented  upon,  and  sug- 
gestions made  to  stop  the  work  of  destruction  before 
it  is  too  late ;  but  nothing  comes  of  it.  Every  book 
or  essay  upon  birds  in  general,  therefore,  is  a  matter 
of  ancient  history  to  some  extent.  It  is  little  more 
than  half  a  century  since  Wilson,  Audubon,  and 
Nuttall  wrote  of  the  birds  of  this  country ;  and  now 
some  of  the  species  common  then  are  gone  entirely 


INTRODUCTION.  1 1 

or  are  nearly  extinct.  To  some  extent  this  is  un- 
avoidable. The  general  deforesting  of  the  country, 
and  consequent  complete  change  of  the  face  of  vast 
areas,  has  deprived  many  birds  of  such  localities  as 
their  habits  of  life  demanded ;  but  in  many  cases 
these  same  birds  would  have  adapted  themselves  to 
the  new  condition  but  for  the  inhuman  persecution 
to  which  they  were  subjected.  The  phrase  "  there 
are  more  gunners  than  birds"  is  often  literally  true, 
and  raises  the  question  of  the  propriety  of  allowing 
fire-arms  to  be  so  freely  carried  as  they  are.  Birds 
should  be  the  wards  of  the  general  government,  and 
not  the  property  of  the  individual  upon  whose  land 
they  happen  for  the  time  being  to  tarry.  This, 
doubtless,  will  never  be  brought  about,  and  unless  a 
very  radical  change  takes  place  in  the  mind  of  the 
community,  the  great  bulk  of  bird-life  will  soon  be  a 
thing  of  the  past,  and  when  too  late  the  agricultural 
interests  will  awake  to  the  fact  that  the  birds  were 
better  friends  than  they  supposed,  and  did  better 
works  than  the  insecticides  that  have  now  to  be  used 
so  freely  upon  fruit-trees,  and  even  annual  growths. 
The  rose-breasted  grosbeak,  the  scarlet  tanager,  and 
the  cardinal  red-bird  are  all  fond  of  potato-beetles ; 
but  how  long  would  they  remain  unmolested  if  they 
appeared  boldly  in  the  fields  ?  Loafers  with  shot- 
guns and  boys  with  slung-shots  would  quickly  make 
way  with  them ;  and  why  ?  Because  there  are  silly 
women  who  will  pay  well  to  put  such  birds  upon 
their  bonnets. 

Nor  can  the  professional  ornithologist  escape  cen- 
sure  in   this   matter  of  bird-slaughter.     There  has 


1 2  INTRODUCTION. 

been  too  much  collecting  by  far,  that  has  yielded 
nothing  worth  the  knowing.  It  is  not  justifiable  to 
kill  a  hundred  warblers  in  a  day  just  to  see  if  a 
particular  one  was  among  them.  There  is  nothing 
to  be  gained  in  determining  that  there  are  possible 
hybrids  or,  it  may  be,  an  overlooked  good  species 
found  in  a  given  area.  Let  what  we  do  not  know  go 
unknown  until  discovered  by  accident,  and  let  the 
birds  live.  Remember  that  it  is  true  of  every  one  of 

them,  that — 

He  who  sings  and  flies  away 
Lives  to  sing  another  day. 

When  we  take  up  the  subject  of  birds  and  their 
place  in  Nature,  we  are  brought  face  to  face  with  that 
very  technical,  dry-as-dust  matter,  their  classification. 
It  is  necessary  to  be  methodical  in  considering  them, 
and  particularly  so  when  we  are  concerned  with 
groups  rather  than  individuals ;  but  whether  we 
begin  with  a  little  brown  diver  and  wind  up  with  a 
thrush  or  vice  versa  does  not  matter  so  much.  A 
glance  merely  at  technical  ornithology  is  sufficient  to 
show  that  the  biologists  who  have  closely  studied 
birds  are  not  quite  of  one  mind  as  to  the  positions 
the  various  groups  should  have  in  the  class  AVES. 
Considering  zoology  as  a  whole,  the  most  logical 
plan  is  to  commence  at  the  bottom,  or  lowest  form, 
and  proceed  to  the  top,  or  highest  form ;  and  these, 
in  North  America,  are  represented  by  the  diver  and 
the  thrush  ;  but  for  personal  convenience,  and  because 
the  thrush  is  more  widely  known  than  the  diver,  we 
will  reverse  the  plan,  and  starting  with  the  birds  that 
are  the  climax  of  avian  development,  glide  leisure'y 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

(and  pleasantly,  I  hope)  to  that  fag-end  of  feather- 
dom,  a  dabchick. 

North  American  birds,  taken  as  a  whole,  are  not 
brilliantly  colored,  but  there  is  not  one  that  is  posi- 
tively ugly,  except,  perhaps,  one  or  more  of  those 
that  live  on  the  water,  and  so  hardly  count.  There 
are  scores  that  are  plain  as  pikestaffs,  like  the  pe- 
wee  or  cat-bird;  but  this  want  of  fine  feathers  is 
always  compensated  for  by  a  gentleness  of  manner, 
sweetness  of  voice,  or  pert  vivacity,  that  renders 
these  very  birds  more  dear  to  us  than  the  gaudy 
cardinal  or  reclusive  tanager. 

This  subject  of  color  should,  perhaps,  be  treated 
in  a  more  serious  way,  for  it  is  one  that  has  great 
bearing  on  philosophical  zoology,  but  the  reader 
must  refer  to  technical  works  for  a  detailed  discus- 
sion. Let  me  here  say,  however,  that  the  most  bril- 
liant birds  are  not  necessarily  very  conspicuous.  In 
summer,  with  dense  foliage  about  them,  they  have  a 
knack  of  moving  in  and  out  among  bushes  and 
flowers  in  such  a  way  that  very  sharp  eyes  are  re- 
quired to  see  them ;  and  I  have  often  been  surprised 
to  find  that  our  cardinal  grosbeak,  in  winter,  is  not 
so  very  showy,  if  there  are  a  few  yellow  and  brown 
oak  leaves  scattered  about.  When  perched  upon  a 
bare  twig  extending  from  a  snow-bank  and  whistling 
like  a  cowboy,  he  attracts  a  deal  of  attention  natu- 
rally, but  his  wits  are  equal  to  the  occasion,  and 
not  often  does  the  lively  sparrow-hawk  surprise  him. 
The  cardinal  can  slide  into  a  tangle  of  green  brier 
with  a  celerity  that  only  an  advanced  mathematician 
can  calculate. 

2 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

Much  has  been  written  upon  the  instincts  of  birds, 
and  a  great  deal  of  this  would  have  been  better  had 
the  authors  treated  of  intelligence  instead.  Birds, 
of  course,  have  instincts ;  so  have  men ;  but  the 
former  are  not  guided  by  them  blindly,  as  so  com- 
monly was  taught  in  the  not  very  distant  past.  In- 
stead, they  depend  upon  the  exercise  of  a  faculty 
which  in  ourselves  we  call  "  common  sense." 

Nuttall,  in  the  Introduction  to  his  "  Manual  of  the 
Ornithology  of  the  United  States  and  Canada,"  says, 
"  In  respect  to  the  habits  of  birds,  we  well  know  that, 
like  quadrupeds,  they  possess,  though  in  a  lower 
degree,  the  capacity  for  a  certain  measure  of  what  may 
be  termed  education,  or  the  power  of  adding  to  their 
stock  of  invariable  habits  the  additional  traits  of  an 
inferior  degree  of  reason."  This  is  both  true  and  not 
true.  They  are,  I  hold,  at  least  the  equals  of  quadru- 
peds, and  the  "degree  of  reason"  is  not  so  very  inferior. 
Compare,  without  prejudice  or  preconceived  notion, 
a  mouse  and  a  sparrow,  an  opossum  and  a  crow,  a 
weasel  and  a  hawk,  and  invariably  you  will  find  that 
the  feathered  is  the  superior  of  the  furred  creature 
in  just  this  very  point  of  what  I  call  common  sense, 
or,  more  properly  speaking,  cunning.  The  mammal 
when  surprised  is  most  frequently  confused,  and  if 
the  simplest  methods  of  escape  fail,  it  falls  a  victim , 
but  a  bird  is  equal  in  more  than  one  way  to  the  occa- 
sion, and  by  pure  brain-power  escapes  when  a  merely 
physical  effort  would  not  avail.  Birds  have  not  been 
sufficiently  studied  in  this  respect.  We  have  been 
content  to  determine  the  ordinary  events  of  their 
daily  lives,  and  forget  that  with  them,  as  with  our- 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

selves,  it  is  the  extraordinary  that  develops  what  is 
really  in  us.  We  give  full  credit  to  the  cunning  fox 
and  wary  trout,  because  we  know  them  so  well ;  we 
admire  the  caution  of  the  crow,  because  it  is  set  before 
us  continually,  and  drift  into  the  belief  that  these  are 
exceptional  cases ;  but  it  is  not  so,  as  will  be  found 
out  when  we  know  all  other  creatures  as  well  as  we 
know  those  that  I  have  mentioned.  Perhaps  we 
never  will,  but  this  is  to  be  hoped,  for  such  knowledge 
will  lead  to  a  more  humane  treatment  of  them  all, 
even  the  despised  worms  of  the  dust. 

It  is  so  rarely  mat  we  meet  with  a  person  who  is 
indifferent  to  birds  that  we  may  say  of  them  that 
they  are  a  necessity  to  our  surroundings,  unless  pent 
up  in  town.  Certainly  when  we  walk  afield  and 
neither  see  nor  hear  them,  there  is  a  feeling  of  desola- 
tion that  destroys  the  pleasure  of  an  outing.  The 
lusty  growths  of  summer  are  not  enough  of  them- 
selves :  they  are  but  the  set  scenes  of  a  stage  whereon 
no  actor  treads ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  we  have  but 
to  place  a  singing-bird  in  a  bare  bush,  and  we  forget 
that  there  are  no  leaves  and  flowers. 

Perhaps  no  one  phase  of  bird-life  has  received 
more  careful  attention  than  that  of  migration.  The 
word  needs  no  definition,  but  the  act  still  calls  for 
considerable  explanation.  A  very  large  proportion 
of  the  birds  of  this  country  pass  their  summers  in 
the  north  and  their  winters  in  the  south :  this  is  called 
migration  ;  but  it  is  not  a  uniform  matter,  and  the 
length  of  the  migratorial  journey  varies  exceedingly, 
and  with  some  species  it  has  materially  shortened  in 
recent  years,  or  else  the  observers  of  a  century  ago 


16  INTRODUCTION. 

were  not  so  sharp-sighted  as  the  ornithologists  of  to- 
day. It  is  not  within  the  scope  of  this  volume  to 
enter  into  the  varied  details  of  the  migration  of  our 
birds.  It  is  a  moderately  uniform  movement  from 
points  widely  distant,  and  the  question  of  a  food- 
supply  is  the  principal  incentive.  When  migration 
commenced,  and  why,  cannot  be  determined.  Geo- 
logically, probably,  it  is  of  recent  date, — that  is, 
brought  about  by  changes  wrought  during  the 
growth,  climax,  and  disappearance  of  the  Glacial 
Period;  but  of  course  all  this  is  conjectural.  We 
cannot  conceive  of  migration  in  a  climate  without 
seasonable  changes,  unless  an  effort  to  escape  enemies 
during  the  breeding  period  should  induce  a  general 
exodus  from  the  ordinary  haunts ;  but  these  enemies 
would  soon  be  able  to  follow  unless  a  climatic  bar 
shut  them  out.  Coming  down  to  details  in  the  mat- 
ter, and  considering  individual  species  rather  than 
birds  en  masse,  it  will  be  found  that  many  birds  that 
migrate  in  easy  stages  are  very  deliberate,  and  when 
they  find  comfortable  quarters  remain  until  a  change 
of  weather  warns  them  to  proceed.  This  is  not 
noticeable  to  any  degree  in  the  spring-tide  northward 
journey,  but  is  very  decided  in  the  autumn  return 
trip  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  and  presumably  equally 
true  of  the  interior.  Early  or  late  in  September,  as 
the  case  may  be,  the  woods  will  fill  up  with  warblers. 
Even  the  trees  along  the  village  street  and  the  bushes 
in  town  gardens  will  be  visited  by  a  throng  of  dainty 
birds,  some  conspicuously  colored,  but  mostly  plain 
and  likely  to  pass  unnoticed,  unless  their  ceaseless 
activity  calls  attention  to  them.  Often  they  do  not 


INTRODUCTION.  17 

even  twitter,  but  at  times  some  one  of  their  number 
will  warble  snatches  of  a  summer-tide  melody,  and 
the  whole  company  applaud  by  a  faint  chirrupy  twit- 
ter that  makes  the  hearer  think  of  the  far-off  spring- 
time of  the  coming  year.  Now  the  stay  of  the  visitors 
is  very  uncertain  as  to  length :  perhaps  but  for  the 
day,  possibly  for  more  than  a  week,  and  if  we  have 
a  long,  dry,  warm  autumn,  at  least  a  fair  proportion 
may  remain  even  longer.  I  am  writing  now  of  the 
lower  Delaware  River  Valley  region,  but  the  same 
holds  good  elsewhere.  It  is  well  known  that  one 
or  more  hardy  species  remain  in  New  England  all 
winter,  and  so  here  a  great  deal  depends  upon  the 
weather  and  the  food-supply  as  to  when  or  how  far 
south  they  go.  There  are  others  of  these  warblers, 
on  the  other  hand,  remarkably  like  many  people  we 
meet, — all  method  and  without  the  power  of  novel 
action.  They  go  just  so  far  north  every  May,  and 
proceed  many  miles  farther  south  every  autumn  than 
there  is  the  slightest  necessity  for,  if  it  is  a  matter  of 
food  and  warmth.  They  must  do  as  their  ancestors 
did,  and  anything  different  is  something  to  be  de- 
plored. It  is  different  with  some  others  of  our  birds. 
They  appear  to  be  of  an  experimental  frame  of  mind, 
and  it  is  now  no  uncommon  sight  to  find  overstaying 
cat-birds,  chewinks,  thrushes,  and  a  few  summer  spar- 
rows that,  as  a  rule,  look  up  warmer  quarters  when 
the  river  freezes.  The  water-birds,  too,  are  disposed 
to  stay  to  some  extent ;  and  herons,  bitterns,  and 
rail-birds  linger  about  the  open  spring-holes  in  the 
marshes,  and  enliven  many  a  stretch  of  nut-brown 
meadow.  But  did  those  birds  that  come  to  us  in 
b  2* 


1 8  INTRODUCTION. 

spring  all  leave  us  in  the  autumn  there  would  be  no 
birdless  interim ;  and  this  applies  to  the  whole  coun- 
try. There  is  everywhere  a  complement  of  resident 
birds,  and  in  autumn,  too,  there  comes  from  the  north 
a  goodly  supply  of  those  birds  that  live  the  greater 
part  of  the  year  in  the  far  north,  but  find  the  winters 
there  too  severe.  This  migratory  flight  is  one  of 
considerable  irregularity,  and  often  a  wide  extent  of 
territory  is  visited  for  some  years,  every  winter,  by 
large  numbers  of  northern  birds,  and  then  a  year  or 
two  will  pass  and  not  a  specimen  be  seen.  It  is  a 
popular  fancy  that  the  appearance  in  unusual  numbers 
of  birds  belonging  to  the  Canadian  fauna  in  the  Mid- 
dle United  States  portends  a  severe  winter ;  but  this 
is  true  only  in  a  limited  sense,  if  true  at  all.  There 
may  be  severity  of  weather  in  the  region  forsaken, 
but  not  necessarily  in  the  one  visited.  It  is  probably 
wholly  a  matter  of  food,  and  we  can  readily  see  that 
some  freak  in  the  summer  weather  may  lessen  the 
supply  of  this.  Certain  it  is  that  little  birds,  like 
little  boys,  do  not  like  to  go  hungry,  and  to  carry 
the  simile  still  further,  there  is  practically  no  limit  to 
their  powers  of  consumption.  Just  as  I  have  often 
eaten — in  years  gone  by — until  I  could  scarcely 
walk,  so  I  have  found  birds  so  full  that  it  was  with 
much  difficulty  that  they  could  fly.  This  has  been 
seen  in  the  case  of  robins,  reed-birds,  and  cedar- 
birds.  I  remember,  too,  a  lovely  little  chipping  spar- 
row that  lived  in  my  yard,  and  which  became  quite 
tame.  We  fed  it  on  crumbs  until  it  became  round  as 
a  ball,  and  when  hopping  on  the  path  you  could  not 
see  its  feet. 


INTRODUCTION.  19 

Birds  lay  eggs,  as  everybody  knows,  but  not  every 
bird  builds  a  nest  for  their  reception,  as  everybody 
doesn't  know.  The  vast  majority  of  them  are  nest- 
builders,  if  we  include  in  that  term  those  that  merely 
scratch  a  shallow  pit  in  the  ground  and  leave  the 
eggs  among  the  pebbles.  This  may  seem  a  good 
deal  like  brutal  indifference,  but  such  eggs  are  very- 
safe,  because  so  hard  to  discover ;  a  great  deal  more 
secure,  indeed,  than  are  those  that  are  placed  in  large 
nests,  open  at  the  top,  and  near  the  runs  and  general 
pathways  of  both  men  and  wild  life.  It  must  be  re- 
membered, too,  that  the  birds  that  place  their  eggs 
on  the  bare  ground  are  not  able  to  build  nests  in 
trees,  unless  of  so  simple  a  pattern  that  they  are  about 
worthless.  There  is  a  well-known  little  heron  that 
builds  a  nest  of  sticks  placed  criss-cross  and  not  tied 
together,  or  at  least  this  amount  of  carelessness  is 
frequently  seen ;  and  it  is  not  uncommon  for  the 
weak-kneed,  helpless  young  birds  to  kick  the  struct- 
ure all  to  pieces  and  be  forced  to  sit  on  the  nearest 
branch  until  able  to  take  care  of  themselves.  I  have 
long  been  familiar  with  a  heronry  near  my  home,  and 
have  found  that  by  reason  of  this  insecure  nest-build- 
ing a  considerable  number  of  young  birds  come  to 
grief.  This  spring-tide  haunt  of  the  little  green  herons 
is  in  a  swampy  sink-hole  well  grown  with  small 
birches,  and  the  largest  bull-frogs  and  snapping-tur- 
tles  and  flesh-eating  creatures  generally  are  always 
to  be  found  here.  Has  the  supply  of  unfortunate 
young  herons  anything  to  do  with  it  ? 

Of  carefully-constructed  birds'  nests  there  is  found, 
in  the  United  States  an  infinite  variety,  but  in  other 


20  INTRODUCTION. 

countries  the  art  has  reached  a  higher  development. 
The  purpose  of  the  nest  is  merely  to  secure  the  safety 
of  the  eggs  and  young,  and  it  is  not  quite  clear  why 
such  very  different  methods  should  be  pursued  to 
accomplish  this  rather  simple  matter.  A  strong  cup- 
shaped  nest,  inconspicuously  placed,  would  seem  to 
be  all  that  is  necessary  ;  but  instead  of  this,  we  have 
long  pendent  nests  on  the  terminal  twigs  of  elm- 
trees,  and  showy  nests  on  slight  shrubs,  even  some- 
times decked  out  with  bits  of  newspaper.  There  are 
swallows  that  build  clay  houses  on  the  outside  of 
bridges  or  barns  where  everybody  can  see  them,  in- 
stead of  placing  them  in  the  nooks  and  corners  where 
they  would  be  concealed  even  from  that  arch-villain, 
nobody's  cat.  Some  birds  will  hollow  out  a  deep 
cavity  in  the  sound  wood  of  a  healthy  tree,  when 
next  door  there  is  a  natural  hollow  in  dead  wood, 
just  as  warm,  as  capacious,  and  as  safely  situated ; 
and  the  great  crested  flycatcher  advertises  his  home 
by  hanging  a  snake-skin  where  the  door-knob  ought 
to  be,  if  he  had  use  for  one. 

There  have  been  many  learned  essays  written  about 
birds'  nests  and  a  variety  of  conclusions  reached,  but 
it  is,  after  all,  much  a  matter  of  theory.  Had  there 
been  good  field  ornithologists  in  the  earliest  days  of 
bird-life  and  the  record  of  the  race  kept  until  the 
dawn  of  history,  a  great  deal  would  be  intelligible 
now  that  must  forever  remain  a  mystery.  But  there 
is  one  important  fact  of  which  we  must  not  lose  sight : 
the  fashions  are  slowly  changing.  There  is  one  bird 
we  call  a  "  chimney-swallow,"  but  these  birds  were 
about  before  the  first  chimney  was  built,  and  so  lived 


INTRODUCTION.  21 

a  different  life  from  what  they  do  now,  and  built  their 
nests  in  hollow  trees  instead  of  smoke-stacks.  The 
purple  martin  is  not  content  now  unless  you  build  a 
house  for  him,  and  the  chances  are  that  you  will 
have  no  wrens  or  bluebirds  about  unless  you  pro- 
vide them  with  suitable  nesting  quarters.  These  are 
all  changes  brought  about  since  the  days  of  the  In- 
dians, for  certainly  their  mode  of  life  was  not  one  to 
attract  birds,  unless  it  was  that  the  filth  about  the 
wigwams  attracted  insect-life  and  the  birds  followed  it. 
Having  briefly  touched  upon  some  of  the  more 
characteristic  phases  of  bird-life  in  general,  with  the 
expression  of  the  hope  that  this  volume  may  add  its 
mite  to  the  growing  disposition  to  cultivate  rather  than 
persecute  our  feathered  friends,  let  us  pass  to  the 
consideration  of  these  creatures  as  we  find  them,  not 
only  in  the  distant  forest,  but  at  our  very  doors ;  in 
the  fields  and  upon  the  mountains ;  far  from  all  water 
but  the  tiniest  brook,  and  treading  the  sandy  beaches 
or  crowding  the  rocks  of  the  sea-coast 


Red-winged  Blackbird. 
(See  page  129.) 


THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  US. 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE   PERCHING    BIRDS. 

WE  find,  on  consulting  Ridgway's  "Manual  of 
North  American  Birds,"  that  in  this  coun- 
try the  birds  have  been  grouped  by  ornithologists 
into  seventeen  orders,  and  these  subdivided  into 
sixty-eight  genera.  Each  genus  is  made  up  of  few 
or  many  species,  and  these,  again,  so  very  precise  are 
the  ornithological  brethren,  have  been  subspecied 
and  sub-subspecied,  until  a  suspicion  arises  that 
every  man  who  has  a  cabinet  of  his  own  has  rep- 
resented therein  a  variation  from  normal  conditions 
unknown  to  the  luck  of  any  other  collector. 

We  do  not  propose  to  travel  that  far  with  the 
minutiae  champions.  It  will  suffice  for  all  our  pur- 
poses to  call  a  song-sparrow  by  that  simple  name, 
for  the  geographical  variations  are  not  so  marked 
that  confusion  will  arise,  even  if  the  reader  has  in 
his  mind  the  sparrow  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  dis- 
trict, that  of  the  Delaware  Valley,  or  the  little  chap 
that  finds  it  in  his  heart  to  sing  away  off  in  the 
Aleutian  Islands. 

The  order,  last  in  Ridgway's  proper  and  scientific 

23 


24  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

series,  because  the  highest,  and  first  in  ours,  because 
the  most  interesting,  is  that  of  Passeres, — the  Perch- 
ing Birds ;  and  the  leaders  of  this  goodly  company 
are  the  well-known  and  well-loved  thrushes.  How- 
ever delighted  we  may  have  been  with  the  songs  of 
our  resident  birds,  which  in  April  have  so  much  mean- 
ing, for  the  nesting-time  draws  near, — the  trill  of  the 
song-sparrow,  the  warble  of  the  bluebird,  and  the  wild 
whistle  of  the  cardinal, — we  are  apt  to  forget  them 
all  when  for  the  first  time,  through  some  lone  path- 


Wood-thrush. 

way  in  the  forest,  floats  the  matchless  melody  of  the 
Wood-thrush.  There  may  be  sweeter  sounds  the 
wide  world  over,  but  he  is  blessed  that  has  heard  this 
one.  That  this  thrush  is  a  bird  of  the  evening,  too, 
adds  to  the  charm,  for  the  song  fittingly  blends  with 
the  fading  light ;  is  meditative  and  vespertine  rather 
than  matutinal  and  rejoicing.  But  the  wood-thrush 
sings  at  other  times.  Indeed,  it  seems  to  do  little 
else  than  sing,  when  the  matter  of  nesting  is  so  far 
advanced  as  the  completion  of  the  structure,  a  large 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  25 

cup  of  sticks  and  grass,  that  has  little  merit  beyond 
strength. 

"  The  nest  of  this  thrush  is  nearly  as  bulky  as  the  robin's,  but  gen- 
erally has  little  or  no  mud  in  its  composition.  It  is  placed  upon  the 
horizontal  branch  of  a  forest-tree,  anywhere  from  six  to  forty  feet 
above  the  ground,  or  in  the  forks  of  a  sapling.  The  materials  are 
twigs,  coarse  grasses,  and  dried  leaves, — of  which  latter,  in  damp 
situations,  there  is  often  a  great  thickness  underneath, — well  com- 
bined, and  lined  with  fine  roots  and  grasses."— ERNEST  INGERSOLL. 

The  early  writers  appear  to  have  overlooked  the 
sociable  side  of  this  bird,  or  else  a  change  has  come 
about  in  its  habits  during  recent  years.  Nuttall 
speaks  of  it  as  "  this  solitary  and  retiring  songster." 
As  the  country  has  been  very  much  settled  up  since 
that  author  wrote,  and  solitudes  are  far  less  exten- 
sive, it  might  be  claimed  that  the  wood-thrush  was 
more  sociable  now  from  necessity  and  not  choice, 
but  I  do  not  think  this  the  case.  The  bird  will 
freely  enter  villages  and  remain  throughout  the 
season.  A  suitable  nesting-place,  if  found,  is  very 
likely  to  be  occupied,  and  all  goes  well  unless  the 
singing  attracts  some  inhuman  cur,  who  sets  bird- 
lime or  trap  and  captures  the  unfortunate  thrush.  I 
have  known  this  to  happen  and  no  one  willing  to 
protest  against  the  outrage. 

Another  tuneful  thrush  is  known  in  New  England 
as  the  "  Veery." 

"  This  beautiful  singer  breeds  from  the  latitude  of  Pennsylvania 
and  /owa,  north-ward  to  Quebec,  westward  along  the  Upper  Missouri, 
and  in  the  valleys  of  Utah  and  Colorado. 

"  The  veery  makes  its  appearance  in  New  England,  from  the  south, 
early  in  May,  and  begins  to  build  during  the  third  week  of  that 
month  ;  but  in  the  centre  of  Maine  the  date  is  a  fortnight  later.  At 
B  3 


26  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

Pembina,  Dakota,  Dr.  Coues  found  fresh  eggs  on  June  9,  and  in 
Southern  Colorado  Mr.  Henshaw  took  them  on  the  igth.  Except  in 
the  far  north,  where  its  breeding  is  delayed  until  midsummer,  it  no 
doubt  brings  up  two  broods  in  a  season.  Audubon  and  Wilson  Flagg 
speak  of  the  nest  £s  being  built  on  mounds  of  sticks  and  grass,  in  the 
darkest  part  of  the  woods,  and  say  that  it  is  made  to  resemble  the 
surrounding  objects ;  while  Nuttall  and  others  write  that  it  sometimes 
chooses  bushes  and  low  trees.  These  situations  are  exceptional,  for 
the  nest  is  almost  invariably  placed  unsupported  upon  the  ground." — 
ERNEST  INGERSOLL. 

Quite  unlike  the  wood-thrush,  while  it  is  content  to 
stay  all  summer  south  of  New  England,  it  does  not 
sing  as  well  as  when  farther  north.  It  is  rather  mopish, 
and  if  we  had  only  those  of  the  Middle  States  to  con- 
sider, it  would  not  be  considered  a  success.  In  its 
habits  generally  the  bird  does  not  differ  from  the 
others  of  its  family.  All  are  insect-eaters,  and  this 
one  fact  should  insure  them  freedom  from  all  inter- 
ference on  our  part.  We  hear  at  times  of  the  de- 
struction of  fruit  as  a  reason  for  persecution,  but 
reasoning  with  people  that  make  such  remarks  is 
useless. 

Still  another,  a  smaller  but  more  richly-colored 
thrush,  is  the  Hermit,  or,  as  known  northward,  the 
Swamp  Robin.  It  is  thought  by  very  many  that  this 
is  our  finest  song-bird,  and  no  praise  bestowed  by 
enthusiastic  admirers  upon  it  has  by  others  been  con- 
sidered excessive.  Its  song  is  not  unlike  that  of  the 
wood-thrush,  but  richer,  more  flute-like  and  dreamy. 

There  is  one  point  in  the  consideration  of  these 
brown,  speckle-breasted  thrushes,  and  that  is  that  the 
difference  in  vocal  power  among  individuals  is  very 
marked.  While,  comparing  species  with  species,  it  is 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  27 

fair  to  class  one  above  the  other  in  merit,  it  is  unques- 
tionably true  that  we  often  find  individual  thrushes 
of  one  species  the  equals  of  the  species  considered,  or, 
as  a  whole,  superior.  I  am  confident  that  no  hermit 
in  the  wilds  of  Maine  ever  excelled  a  wood-thrush 
that  for  four  consecutive  summers  nested  in  an  apple- 
tree  in  my  lane.  Its  song  was  more  prolonged  and 
varied  than  any  description  of  such  vocal  efforts  by 
Nuttall,  Cheney,  or  other  authors.  This  thrush  dif- 
fered from  his  fellows  in  another  way.  He  came 
earlier  in  the  spring,  bringing  a  mate  with  him,  and 
stayed  nearly  a  month  later.  I  never  quite  fathomed 
the  cause,  but  suspect  that  it  had  something  to  do 
with  the  fact  that  the  old  tree  was  one  great  insec- 
tarium,  and  the  supply  of  white  ants,  among  other 
forms,  was  apparently  limitless.  That  it  was  the  same 
thrush  each  year  was  apparent ;  that  it  came  early  in 
April,  mated,  was  significant,  and  I  quote  Nuttall  to 
that  effect : 

"  Conjugal  fidelity  and  parental  affection  are  among  the  most  con- 
spicuous traits  of  the  feathered  tribes.  The  pair  unite  their  labors  in 
preparing  for  the  accommodation  of  their  expected  progeny;  and 
during  the  time  of  incubation  their  participation  of  the  same  cares 
and  solicitudes  continually  augments  their  mutual  attachment.  When 
the  young  appear,  a  new  source  of  care  and  pleasure  opens  to  them, 
still  strengthening  the  ties  of  affection;  and  the  tender  charge  of 
rearing  and  defending  their  infant  brood  requires  the  joint  attention 
of  both  parents.  The  warmth  of  first  affection  is  thus  succeeded  by 
calm  and  steady  attachment,  which  by  degrees  extends,  without 
suffering  any  diminution,  to  the  rising  branches  of  the  family. 

"  This  conjugal  union  in  the  rapacious  tribe  of  birds,  the  Eagles 
and  Hawks,  as  well  as  with  the  Ravens  and  Crows,  continues  com- 
monly through  life.  Among  many  other  kinds  it  is  also  of  long 
endurance,  as  we  may  perceive  in  our  common  Pewee  and  the  Blue- 


28  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

bird,  who  year  after  year  continue  to  frequent  and  build  in  the  same 
cave,  box,  or  hole  in  the  decayed  orchard  tree." 

While  I  cannot  see  that  the  facts  offered  in  the 
conclusion  of  the  lines  quoted  are  necessary  evidence 
of  Nuttall's  inference,  I  bring  without  hesitation  my 
wood-thrush  to  notice  as  an  instance  of  the  same 
bird  returning  to  the  same  spot,  and  returning  mated, 
which  at  least  proves  courtship  prior  to  the  north- 
ward migratorial  journey,  or,  as  I  believe,  permanent 
marriage. 

Another  small  thrush  is  Swainson's,  or  the  Olive- 
backed,  and  this,  again,  is  one  of  those  migrants  that 
favor  the  people  of  the  far  north  only  with  their 
nesting-time  melodies. 

"  The  tone  of  its  voice  is  richer  and  rounder — more  flute-like  and 
less  metallic — than  that  of  any  other  of  the  small  thrushes ;  but  the 
song  lacks  that  spiritual  quality  so  conspicuous  in  the  hymn-like 
melody  of  the  Hermit." 

The  Gray-checked  Thrush  is  rare  and  local,  and 
with  no  marked  peculiarities  over  its  more  abundant 
brethren. 

But  over  all  in  importance,  although  without  any 
of  the  musical  charm  of  the  thrushes  we  have  men- 
tioned, is  the  ever-abundant,  omnipresent  Robin. 
Everybody  knows  a  robin  at  a  glance.  It  is  one 
ornithological  fact  that  has  penetrated  even  our  large 
cities,  and  so,  too,  has  the  bird.  If  a  tall  tree  happens 
to  be  in  a  city  church-yard,  the  robin,  when  flying 
over,  will  spy  it  out,  and  accept  it  as  a  nesting-place. 

"  The  robin  is  distributed  in  the  breeding  season  over  the  whole 
United  States,  excepting  the  extreme  south,  and  over  the  most  of 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  29 

British  America.  Everywhere  it  is  one  of  the  earliest  birds  to  nestle, 
and  in  the  southern  part  of  its  range  raises  two  or  more  broods  in  a 
season.  In  the  Middle  States  the  robins  have  paired  by  April  I,  and 
have  begun  to  build  their  homes  before  the  middle  of  the  month. 
As  far  north  as  Detroit,  fresh  eggs  are  to  be  had  the  second  and  third 
weeks  of  April  in  abundance,  while  even  on  the  Upper  Missouri  and 
at  Puget  Sound,  the  first  broods  of  young  are  out  early  in  June,  and 
a  second  brood  prepared  for."— ERNEST  INGERSOLL. 

As  everybody  knows  the  robin,  and  most  of  us 
have  told  innumerable  stories  about  the  bird,  perhaps 
the  least  said  the 
better;  but  the 
subject  cannot 
be  passed  over 
in  positive  si- 
lence. The  robin 
is  wandering  Robin, 

rather  than  sys- 
tematically migratory.  The  northern  birds  drift 
southward,  and  those  of  the  Middle  States  go  far- 
ther south,  but  in  no  regular  way;  and  if  the 
weather  is  mild,  they  drift  back  in  midwinter,  and 
add  their  mite  to  our  midwinter  minstrelsy.  The 
January  robin  is  a  lively  fellow,  and  his  clear,  metallic 
chirp  goes  a  great  way  towards  enlivening  the  land- 
scape ;  but  this  same  noisy  chatter  in  May  is  an 
intolerable  nuisance. 

Robins  have  no  remarkable  habits,  and  are  pat- 
terns of  propriety  when  keeping  house  and  con- 
cerned with  the  care  of  their  offspring.  Later  in  the 
season  they  lead  restless,  wandering  lives,  a  great 
many  being  together  often,  but  not  closely  flocked 
as  are  the  red-winged  blackbirds.  This  disposition 
3* 


30  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

to  remain  with  their  own  kind  shows  itself  in  the 
habit — not  an  invariable  one — of  roosting  together 
in  some  secure,  secluded,  thick-set  growth  of  small 
trees ;  at  least  such  places  have  always  been  chosen, 
so  far  as  my  personal  observation  goes.  One  robin- 
roost  was  on  a  rather  steep  bluff,  forming  at  that 
point  the  bank  of  the  river.  The  spot  was  densely 
covered  with  hemlocks  and  rhododendron.  Here, 
in  October  and  later  until  severe  weather  set  in,  hun- 
dreds of  robins  gathered  about  four  P.M.  The  noise 
they  made  was  quite  equal  to  the  chatter  of  as  many 
crows.  How  early  in  the  morning  they  scattered  I 
could  not  learn,  but  almost  none  remained  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  through  the  day. 

It  has  been  stated  that  no  reference  to  this  habit 
appeared  in  print  prior  to  1890,  but  it  was  known 
outside  of  books  for  more  than  a  century.  Proba- 
bly the  remarkable  roosts  seen  in  Massachusetts, 
where  thousands  of  robins  were  congregated,  is  ex- 
tremely unusual,  but  to  find  at  least  one  thousand 
roosting  in  a  space  of  less  than  half  an  acre  is  by  no 
means  uncommon. 

The  Varied  Thrush,  a  Pacific  coast  robin,  is  so  far 
of  a  wandering  disposition  as  to  have  reached  the 
Eastern  States,  but  none  have  apparently  taken  up 
permanent  quarters  here.  A  new  bird  has  little 
chance  shown  it,  thanks  to  the  extreme  zeal  of  pro- 
fessional ornithologists.  To  demonstrate  the  fact 
that  a  bird  was  here  is  considered  of  more  scientific 
value  than  to  assure  the  public  that  it  is  here. 

A  thrush  according  to  the  "  system"  {i.e.,  its  anat- 
omy), but  not  thrush-like  in  appearance,  is  the  one 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  31 

time  very  common,  and  to  all  people  delightful,  Blue- 
bird. This  bird  early  attracted  attention,  and  because 
of  its  pleasing  warble,  bright  colors,  and  sociable 
disposition  became  a  favorite  at  once.  Its  nesting 
habits  being  recognized,  boxes  for  its  accommoda- 
tion were  set  about  dwellings,  and  there  was  proba- 
bly not  a  farm-house  in  the  country  but  had  its  blue- 
birds. What  a  change  has  taken  place !  Now  one 
seldom  sees  these  birds  except  as  wild  wanderers  in 
the  fields  or  forest.  They  come  and  go,  even  in  our 
villages,  it  is  true,  but  not  as  a  regular  feature  of 
early  spring.  In  the  Middle  States  the  bluebird  is 
not  migratory.  They  collect  in  considerable  num- 
bers in  September,  and,  associated  with  kingbirds 
and  orioles,  seek  the  warm,  low-lying  ground,  where 
the  last  of  the  sum- 
mer's insect-life  still 
lingers.  At  such  a 
time  they  have  much 
of  the  movements  of 
typical  flycatchers. 
Not  long  ago  I 
watched  one  bird  for 
nearly  an  hour.  It 
was  perched  upon  a 
tall,  outreaching  stake 
in  the  angle  of  an  old  Bluebird, 

worm  -  fence.       From 

this  it  sallied  out,  pewee-like,  into  the  upper  air  and 
seized  some  insect,  and  then  returned  to  its  post.  Oc- 
casionally it  would  fly  a  hundred  yards  or  more  and 
try  some  other  outlook ;  but  none  other  suited  it  so 


32  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

well,  and  it  soon  returned.  Not  once  did  it  fly 
downward  to  catch  an  insect.  Is  it  because  it  can 
only  see  a  fly  when  the  sky  is  beyond,  and  insects 
are  not  discernible  against  the  dull  background 
of  dead  grass  ?  This  bluebird,  while  I  watched  it, 
seemed  generally  to  have  its  attention  drawn  upward, 
and  only  flew  out  in  that  direction. 

It  would  seem  to  be  a  law  of  bird-life  that  the 
smaller  the  body  the  greater  the  activity.  Of  course 
our  very  largest  birds  are  active  enough  in  one  sense, 
but  it  is  deliberate  action.  I  have  watched  vultures 
soar  by  the  hour  in  the  sky,  so  high  above  the 
earth  that  they  seemed  no  larger  than  swallows,  and 
the  same  is  true  of  eagles.  But  this  soaring  proba- 
bly calls  for  little  exertion.  On  the  other  hand, 
there  comes  from  the  south  to  the  Middle  States, 
and  sparingly  to  the  north,  a  little  blue-gray  gnat- 
catcher  that  is  just  as  active,  erratic,  and  impetu- 
ous as  any  humming-bird,  and  is  something  smaller, 
too,  than  the  largest  of  the  hummers.  This  little 
bird  is  not  generally  known.  It  does  not  come  to 
town,  or,  if  it  does,  pays  only  a  flying  visit  to  the 
tallest  tree-tops.  It  stays  all  summer,  and  builds  a 
dainty  nest  of  unsubstantial  bits,  always  in  a  tree, 
and  sometimes  very  near  the  top  of  it,  and  lays  a 
few  beautiful  yellow-brown  and  white  eggs. 

Anent  the  matter  of  classification,  this  little  bird 
used  to  be  looked  upon  as  a  "flycatcher."  It  is 
still  a  catcher  of  flies,  but,  because  of  its  bones  and 
feathers  having  certain  twists,  "  is  now  ranked  as  one 
of  the  highest  types  of  the  Oscines,  or  Singing-birds," 
and  the  song  is  usually  likened  to  the  squeak  of  a 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  33 

mouse,  and,  according  to  Nuttall,  "  scarcely  louder." 
This  is  very  true,  so  far  as  it  goes,  but  there  are  ex- 
traordinary occasions  when  it  can  raise  its  voice  to 
some  purpose  and  squeak  very  shrilly.  This  little 
bird  has  something  of  a  temper  when  nesting,  and 
while  timid  as  a  rule,  may  be  roused  to  rashness,  and 
will  dart  at  you  as  angrily  as  ever  did  the  irate  hum- 
ming-bird. 

There  are  two  birds  much  alike  in  all  respects,  the 
Golden-crowned  and  Ruby-crowned  Kinglets.     They 


Golden-crowned  Kinglet. 

spend  their  summers  in  the  far  north,  and  winter, 
the  former  in  the  Middle  States  and  southward,  and 
the  latter  altogether  far  south.  So  it  is  written ;  but 
I  have  seen  ruby-crowns  at  Christmas  in  Southern 
New  Jersey,  and  occasionally  elsewhere.  The  golden- 
crowned  is  the  common  one  with  us  all  the  winter, 
and  a  very  companionable  little  fellow  it  is.  While 
preferring  evergreens,  it  is  satisfied  with  shrubbery 
of  any  kind,  and  will  cheerfully  pick  its  way  through 
tangled  vines,  all  the  while  singing  or  trying  to,  which 
is  just  as  well,  for  the  simple  sound  shows  what  a 
cheerful  heart  the  kinglet  has,  and  we  are  as  quick 
to  respond  to  an  effort  as  to  a  great  feat  accom- 


34  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

plished.  I  doubt  if,  in  the  long  run,  the  elaborate 
performances  of  our  accomplished  songsters  afford 
more  real  pleasure  than  the  less  elaborated  utter- 
ances of  unpretentious  birds.  The  golden-crowned 
kinglet  occasionally  leaves  the  trees  and  shrubbery  in 
winter,  and,  entering  unoccupied  buildings,  as  stables, 
barns,  and  wood-sheds,  goes  upon  a  spider  hunt. 
Whether  an  original  conception  or  he  took  the  hint 
from  the  wrens,  I  do  not  know.  In  general  make-up 
and  manner  this  bird  is  very  wren-like,  and  is  looked 
upon  as  one  by  the  majority  of  people.  A  word 
more.  This  species  is  not  a  fair-weather  creature; 
the  winter  of  1892-93  was  a  proof  of  this.  These 
birds  were  very  common  and  suffered  no  inconven- 
ience, although  the  temperature  was  at  zero  (Fahren- 
heit) and  there  was  much  snow.  They  congregated 
in  the  spruces,  larches,  and  cypresses,  and  twittered 
as  merrily  as  did  the  tree-sparrows  all  winter  long. 
The  kinglet  is  not  supposed  to  breed  south  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  very  sparingly  there.  I  am  inclined 
to  think  that  careful  search  would  result  in  finding  a 
nest  now  and  then  in  the  hemlock  swamps  of  Pike 
County,  Pennsylvania. 

The  ruby-crowned  kinglet  passes  "  the  summer 
and  breeding  season  in  the  colder  parts  of  the  North 
American  continent,"  and  while  there  gives  abundant 
evidence  of  its  superior  vocal  powers.  The  majority 
of  our  people  know  it,  necessarily,  as  a  pretty  mi- 
gratory bird,  that  merely  twitters  as  it  leisurely  goes 
northward  in  early  spring  or  southward  in  autumn. 
In  the  Middle  States  it  is  seen  at  its  best  in  April. 
Given  a  warm,  sunny  day  and  plenty  of  underbrush, 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  35 

and  the  kinglets  are  pretty  sure  to  be  found.  Then 
their  mingled  voices  will  ring  through  the  leafless 
woodland,  but  not  loudly. 

The  nests  of  both  kinglets  are  huge,  nearly  globu- 
lar affairs,  made  of  light,  flimsy  material,  but  well 
knit,  and  so  a  warm  home  for  the  young.  This,  of 
course,  is  needed,  considering  the  cool,  damp  locali- 
ties chosen  for  a  home  during  the  breeding  season. 
That  the  nests  should  be  large,  when  the  bird  is  so 
small,  need  not  excite  surprise  when  we  know  that 
many  eggs  are  laid.  In  one  instance  eleven  eggs  were 
found  in  a  nest,  and  if  all  hatched,  the  room  the  grow- 
ing kinglets  would  require  would  be  considerable. 

As  constituting  the  family  Paridcs,  tits  and  nut- 
hatches, we  have  four  of  the  latter  and  a  variety, 
and  eleven  titmice,  with  a  few  varieties.  Only  the 
unmistakable  species  above  need  concern  us. 

The  two  common  nuthatches  are  the  Red-  and  the 
White-bellied.  They  are  everywhere  abundant  in  the 
Middle  States  from  October  to  April,  and  in  the  sum- 
mer are  found  northward;  but  single  birds — old 
bachelors,  shall  we  call  them? — do  not  take  the 
northward  journey  in  the  spring,  and  are  seen  in 
evergreen  woods  practically  all  summer.  They  are, 
however,  outside  of  Canada,  essentially  a  winter  bird, 
and  more  steady,  earnest,  and  successful  insect- 
hunters  cannot  be  found.  They  are  fearless,  too,  and 
often  will  cling  to  a  window-sash  and  peck  against 
the  glass,  seeing  a  spider  or  a  fly  on  the  inside.  Nut- 
tall  has  recorded  that  nuthatches,  "  when  baffled  by 
the  slippery  sleet  which  denies  him  a  foothold,  .  .  . 
is  sometimes  driven  to  the  necessity  of  approaching 


36  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

barn-yards  and  stables."  That  was  sixty  years  ago. 
Now  the  stables  are  as  trees  to  the  birds,  and  out  of 
necessity,  for  sometimes  there  are  more  buildings 
than  trees.  To  me  these  birds  seem  equally  at  home 
in  any  locality,  and  have  but  the  one  thought, — a 
sufficient  food-supply.  It  is  quite  evident  that  the 
general  deforesting  of  the  country  has  brought  about 
a  material  change  of  habits,  especially  in  what  we 
might  call  strictly  arboreal  birds. 

Speaking  of  the  red-bellied  nuthatch,  Wilson  re- 
marks as  follows : 

"  This  bird  is  particularly  fond  of  the  seeds  of  pine-trees.  You 
may  traverse  many  thousand  acres  of  oak,  hickory,  and  chestnut 
woods  during  winter  without  meeting  with  a  single  individual ;  but 
no  sooner  do  you  enter  among  the  pines  than,  if  the  air  be  still,  you 
have  only  to  listen  for  a  few  moments,  and  their  note  will  direct  you 
where  to  find  them.  They  usually  feed  in  pairs." 

Nuthatches  build  in  hollow  trees,  making  their 
own  homes  or  using  an  old  woodpecker's  nest.  Like 
some  other  birds  that  nest  in  such  places,  they  occa- 
sionally carry  sticks  and  grass  into  some  hole  in  a 
rotting  tree  in  midwinter,  but  do  not  seem  to  make 
use  of  the  place  when  fitted  up  by  them. 

Of  the  true  titmice  whole  volumes  might  be  writ- 
ten. Emerson  has  immortalized  one  of  them  in  verse: 

"  Piped  a  tiny  voice  hard  by, 
Gay  and  polite,  a  cheerful  cry, 
Chick-chickadeedee  !  saucy  note 
Out  of  sound  heart  and  merry  throat 
As  if  it  said,  '  Good-day,  good  sir ! 
Fine  afternoon,  old  passenger! 
Happy  to  meet  you  in  these  places, 
Where  January  brings  few  faces.' " 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS. 


37 


Probably  there  is  no  more  characteristic  bird  of 
the  winter  landscape  of  the  Northern  and  Middle 
States  than  the  black-capped  titmouse,  or  Chicka- 
dee, as  it  is  usually  called. 
As  I  have  said  of  the 
nuthatches,  they  have 
no  predilections  as  to 
locality,  and  are  as 
ready  to  glean  from  trees 
about  your  yard  as  to 
hunt  in  the  depths  of 
the  woods.  They  are 
happily  constituted  as 
to  food,  and  when  one 
supply  fails  can  readily 
turn  to  another,  and 
thrive  as  well  on  vege- 
table substances  as  upon 
the  fat  larvae  of  in- 
sects. They  are  never  silent.  It  is  a  matter  of 
chick-a-dee-dee,  or  tsee-deet,  or  phe-bee,  all  the  day 
long,  the  last  of  the  three  notes  perhaps  being  a 
love-call. 

Yet,  common  as  they  are,  they  never  startle  you 
with  some  strange  act  that  makes  you  wonder  if  birds 
are  as  brainy  as  people.  They  are  commonplace, 
and  yet  have  such  winning  ways  that  you  never  tire 
of  them.  Even  when  they  have  nests  in  the  hollows 
of  old  trees,  and  are  concerned  about  their  young, 
they  do  not  forget  to  be  cheerful,  and  sing  as  con- 
stantly as  though  care  was  unknown.  Of  all  our 
birds,  they  are  the  tamest,  I  believe.  I  have  often 


Chickadee. 


38  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

had  them  within  arm's  length,  and  when  so  near,  to 
look  at  me  with  a  curious  twist  of  the  head  and  ex- 
pression of  satisfaction,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  I'm  glad 
I'm  not  such  a  looking  thing  as  that ;"  and  well  they 
may  be. 

Thoreau,  under  date  of  October  4,  records, — 

"  The  birds  seem  to  delight  in  these  first  fine  days  of  the  fall,  in 
the  warm,  hazy  light,— robins,  bluebirds  (in  families  on  the  almost 
bare  elms),  phcebes,  and  probably  purple  finches.  I  hear  half-strains 
of  many  of  them,  as  the  song-sparrow,  bluebird,  etc.,  and  the  sweet 
phe-bee  of  the  chickadee.  Now  the  year  itself  begins  to  be  ripe, 
ripened  by  the  frost  like  a  persimmon." 

Again,  he  says, — 

"As  I  stood  looking,  I  heard  a  smart  tche-day-day-day  close  to 
my  ear,  and,  looking  up,  saw  four  or  five  chickadees  which  had  come 
to  scrape  acquaintance  with  me,  hopping  amid  the  alders  within  three 
or  four  feet  of  me.  I  had  heard  them  farther  off  at  first,  and  they 
had  followed  me  along  the  hedge.  They  day-day 'd  and  lisped  their 
faint  notes  alternately,  and  then,  as  if  to  make  me  think  they  had 
some  other  errand  than  to  peer  at  me,  they  pecked  the  dead  twigs, 
the  little  top-heavy,  black-crowned,  volatile  fellows." 

The  above  tells  the  whole  story  of  a  chickadee's 
winter  life,  and  no  professional  naturalist  ever  told  it 
half  so  well. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  Crested  Titmouse  is  not 
a  New  England  bird.  Emerson  and  Thoreau  would 
have  made  good  use  of  it.  Strangely  enough,  Wilson 
says  but  little  about  it,  and  Nuttall  goes  extensively 
into  the  matter  of  its  song,  but  nothing  else.  In 
New  Jersey  this  bird  is  a  resident,  and  whatever  the 
weather,  is  not  to  be  found  skulking.  I  have  seen 
one  clinging  to  the  very  top  of  a  tall  shell-bark  in  the 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  39 

meadows  while  it  was  blowing  half  a  gale,  and  shout- 
ing to  all  the  world  f  sweet  here  !  f  sweet  here  !  I  was 
on  the  point  of  turning  homeward,  but  sought  the  lee 
of  the  hickory  instead,  and  while  the  blow  lasted,  and 
through  a  short  sum- 
mer shower,  the  bird 
kept  whistling,  not  to 
keep  its  courage  up, 
but  through  excess 
of  spirits,  f  sweet 
here!  f  sweet  here! 
Birds  like  that  are  a 
blessing. 

This  titmouse, 
being  a  resident,  af- 
fords abundant  op-  Crested  Titmouse, 
portunity  to  carefully  study  it.  As  a  summer  bird, 
associated  more  or  less  with  half  a  hundred  other 
birds,  it  is  not  particularly  prominent  except  when 
it  happens  to  take  advantage  of  a  quiet  moment  and 
whistle  so  loudly  that  every  dog  within  half  a  mile 
pricks  up  his  ears. 

There  are  several  other  titmice  found  in  the  South 
and  far  West,  and  all  maintain  the  reputation  of  the 
group  for  liveliness  and  pluck ;  but  not  one  is  the 
superior  of  the  crested  tit  of  which  I  have  spoken, 
nor  have  any  of  them  any  marked  peculiarity  from 
the  general  habits  of  the  Eastern  species. 

A  very  common  little  bird,  that  because  of  its  un- 
obtrusive habits  is  not  generally  known,  is  the  Brown 
Tree-creeper.  The  name,  coupled  with  the  color,  de- 
scribes it  most  accurately.  As  a  tree-creeper  we 


40  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

know  it,  and  as  nothing  else.  If  it  ever  happens 
elsewhere  than  on  a  tree-trunk,  it  must  be  by  acci- 
dent. I  found  one  once  that  had  evidently  been 
blown  into  the  room  through  an  open  window  dur- 
ing a  storm.  Its  effort  to  creep  over  the  wall  was 
not  a  success,  and  when  it  finally  sank  to  the  floor, 
its  claws  took  such  hold  upon  the  carpet  that  I  could 
not  dislodge  it  without  injury.  Any  attempt  to  touch 
it  was  resented  by  vicious  thrusts  of  its  beak,  which 

I  found  quite  equal 
to  piercing  the  skin. 
I  had  in  this  in- 
stance an  opportu- 
nity of  hearing  its 
voice,  and  all  I  could 
make  of  it  was  an 
impatient  sibilant 
squeak,  a  tsit,  not 
unlike  the  hiss  of  a 
captured  bat.  I 
have  never  heard 
any  other  sound  or 
attempt  at  singing. 
This  bird  is  not  un- 
Brown  Tree-creeper.  known  to  the  Middle 

States    in    summer, 

and  I  believe  occasionally  nests  with  us.  Many 
years  ago  I  found  one  of  these  birds  busy  about  an 
old  apple-tree,  and  carrying  flurry  material  into  an 
irregular  cavity  caused  by  the  loosening  of  a  sheet  of 
the  bark. 
There  are  thirteen  wrens  and  varieties  or  geograph- 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  41 

ical  races  of  nearly  all  of  them.  In  the  Eastern  and 
Middle  States  we  are  pretty  well  supplied,  and  no  one, 
I  imagine,  has  lived  in  the  country  or  in  a  village  but 
what  has  seen  and  heard  the  common  summer  resi- 
dent "  house"  or  "  little  brown"  wren.  Much  that 
was  said  of  the  bluebird  can  be  repeated  of  this  lit- 
tle bird.  It  was  once  very  much  more  abundant 
than  now.  The  imported  sparrow  is  responsible  for 
the  sad  fact.  The  two  birds  cannot  or  will  not  live 
together,  and  while  a  wren  can  thrash  a  sparrow  in 
open  combat,  a  pair  of  them  cannot  withstand  the 
assault  of  a  whole  horde  of  the  pestiferous  foreigners. 

The  Wrens  as  a  family  have  a  good  deal  in  common, 
seen  as  individuals,  and  a  person  who  is  familiar  with 
the  species  on  our  Eastern  seaboard  will  at  once 
recognize  the  Cactus- wrens  of  the  far  West.  They 
all  have  a  quick,  nervous,  irritable  way  about  them 
that  is  unmistakable. 

The  Common  House-wren  of  the  East — which  has 
a  range  west  to  the  Mississippi  Valley  and  goes  as  far 
north  as  Canada,  and  winters  in  the  Southern  States 
— has  been  a  favorite  theme  for  ornithological  writers, 
and  the  stories  of  its  eccentricities,  ready  wit,  and 
daring  ways  are  innumerable.  Its  decided  preference 
for  the  neighborhood  of  human  habitations  has  to  do 
with  this.  I  doubt  not  it  lingered  about  the  Indians' 
wigwams,  welcomed  the  earliest  European  settlers, 
and,  until  the  introduction  of  the  sparrow,  was  a  fixed 
feature  of  every  farm-house,  and  was  almost  as  com- 
mon in  the  towns  as  in  the  country.  All  it  asked 
was  a  little  box  wherein  to  nest,  and  it  paid  rent 
therefor  in  musical  notes.  Those  who  have  lived 
4* 


42  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

in  the  country  must  have  a  lively  recollection  of  that 
bright,  sunny  April  morning  when,  for  the  first  time 
in  months,  they  heard  the  cheery  singing  of  this  lively 
minstrel.  It  is  always  ready  with  a  full  performance. 
There  is  no  tuning  up,  no  interminable  twanging  of 
strings,  or  dead-and-alive  tooting  upon  horns,  but  the 
full  measure  of  the  song  proposed,  and  it  is  a  wel- 
come to  spring  that  puts  faith  in  the  hearts  of  all 
hearers. 

Year  after  year  the  same  birds  come  to  the  same 
old  quarters,  and  no  time  is  lost  in  renovating  them 
for  the  coming  summer.  This  means  work,  of  course, 
but  the  labor  is  not  depressing.  There  goes  a  song 
along  with  every  twig  that  is  carried  in-doors,  a  round 
of  exultation  with  every  egg  that  is  laid,  and  a  gen- 
eral rejoicing  until  the  young  have  gathered  strength 
sufficient  to  go  out  into  the  world.  And  all  the  while 
these  birds  are  devouring  thousands  of  insects, — liter- 
ally, thousands. 

I  do  not  know  how  far,  years  ago,  these  wrens  fre- 
quented the  remote  woods,  but  of  late  I  have  found 
far  more  in  the  weedy  meadows,  wandering  about 
old  worm-fences  and  making  their  homes  in  hollow 
trees,  than  about  the  out-buildings  on  the  farm.  Here, 
however,  whether  they  felt  out  of  place  or  not,  they 
were  just  as  lively  and  ready  to  pick  a  quarrel  as 
when  the  lords  of  the  door-yard.  The  change  may 
not  have  been  a  sorrowful  one  for  them,  but  it  was 
for  me. 

The  house-wren  is  sensitive  to  cold,  and  early  in 
October  they  leave  for  warmer  regions ;  but  it  is  very 
difficult  to  make  many  people  believe  this.  Time 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  43 

and  again  I  have  been  assured  that  the  wrens  are 
here  all  winter,  "  only  they  don't  sing,"  being  usually 
added.  This  misconception  arises  from  the  fact  that 
at  about  the  time  the  summer  bird  leaves  us  the  Win- 
ter-wren comes  down  from  Canada  and  New  England, 


House-wren. 

and  stays  with  us  until,  according  to  some,  the  snow- 
birds go  home,  and  it  goes  with  them.  This  winter- 
wren  is  a  superb  singer,  but  practically  mute  in  the 
Middle  States.  Occasionally  I  have  heard  it  warble 
a  few  rich  notes,  but  as  a  general  thing  the  bird's 
presence  would  only  be  known  by  being  seen.  Al- 
most like  a  mouse  it  creeps  about  fences,  out-build- 
ings, and  thick  underbrush,  uttering  a  sharp  squeak 
at  times  when  startled.  A  favorite  winter  haunt,  ac- 
cording to  my  own  observations,  is  about  springs 
where  they  are  surrounded  by  dense  sapling  growths 
and  windrows  of  dead  leaves.  Among  the  latter  it 
will  worm  its  way  industriously,  often  overturning  a 
broad  leaf  of  an  oak  to  catch  at  any  minute  spider 
or  other  form  of  life  that  may  be  lurking  there.  Oc- 
casionally a  severe  winter  makes  them  very  bold,  and 
they  enter  the  out-buildings  and  there  hunt  for  spiders, 
as  does  the  house-wren  in  summer. 


44  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

Writing  of  the  song  of  the  winter-wren,  Torrey 
states, — 

"  The  great  distinction  of  the  winter-wren's  melody  is  its  marked 
rhythm  and  accent,  which  give  it  a  martial,  fife-like  character. 
Note  tumbles  over  note  in  the  true  wren  manner,  and  the  strain  comes 
to  an  end  so  suddenly  that  for  the  first  few  times  you  are  likely  to 
think  that  the  bird  has  been  interrupted.  In  the  middle  is  a  long 
indrawn  note,  much  like  one  of  the  canary's." 

But  if  the  people  of  the  Middle  States  and  south- 
ward are  denied  the  privilege  of  hearing  the  shy 
winter-wren,  we  have  some  consolation  in  the  fact 
that  the  Carolina  wren  is  a  resident  bird,  and  stirs  up 
all  the  quiet  places,  whether  in  the  woods  or  on  the 
plains,  far  from  our  dwellings  or  sitting  on  our  door- 
steps. The  Carolina  wren  comes  to  stay,  when  it 
decides  to  come  at  all,  and  makes  itself  immediately 
at  home ;  and  no  bird  varies  so  much  in  its  fancies 
as  to  locality.  I  have  known  them  to  occupy  a  box- 
nest  in  the  chicken-house,  filling  it  nearly  full  of  sticks 
and  feathers,  and  to  have  a  cave  in  the  steep  hill-side. 
A  huge  hollow  in  an  old  locust-tree  was  once  occu- 
pied, the  birds  ousting  a  tufted  titmouse,  and  a  corner 
of  the  hay-mow,  then  empty,  was  selected,  and  posses- 
sion held  until  the  rats  disputed  the  claim. 

Like  all  wrens,  the  Carolina,  or  "  Mocker,"  is  lively, 
and  while  it  sits  in  one  place  when  singing,  it  droops 
its  wings  and  trembles  all  over.  The  song  is  chiefly 
remarkable  for  its  clear,  fife-like  tone  and  the  great 
variety  of  its  utterances  ;  but  I  never  have  found  that 
it  imitates  other  birds.  Other  birds  have  notes  some- 
what similar,  and  whether  it  is  this  wren  or  a  tufted 
titmouse  that  whistles  pe-to  must  be  determined  by 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  45 

the  eye  and  not  the  ear.  We  have  seen  that  the  win- 
ter-wren sings  only  during  nesting-time ;  but  no  such 
matter  affects  the  Carolina.  It  is  just  as  lively  in 
January  as  in  June,  and  I  shall  long  remember  one 
bitter  cold  morning,  when  a  cardinal  grosbeak  on 
one  side  of  the  river,  there  nearly  a  mile  wide,  was 
answered  by  a  wren  on  the  opposite  shore.  It  may 
have  been  a  mere  coincidence,  of  course,  but  the 
effect  was  that  of  giving  and  returning  a  challenge, 
and  the  clear,  sweet  notes  of  the  two  songsters  rang 
out  in  the  still,  frosty  air  as  distinctly  as  the  cawing  of 
the  crows  that  filled  the  river  valley.  Nuttall  gives  an 
elaborate  description  of  the  bird's  song,  and  speaks  of 
the  imitation  of  the  notes  of  this  and  that  bird,  giving 
details  so  minutely  that  the  thought  arises,  Has  the 
habit  of  the  bird  undergone  a  change  ?  Its  range  ap- 
pears to  have  done  so,  for  it  is  now  very  common  in 
New  Jersey  and  does  not  seem  to  stray  at  all.  In  the 
hills  of  the  upper  Delaware  Valley,  in  May,  1892,  I 
found  them  very  abundant,  and  one  pair  at  least  were 
nesting  on  a  shelf  of  rock  overhung  by  a  jutting  mass 
of  stone.  It  was  the  most  open  nest  I  had  ever  seen. 
Others  of  these  birds  were  clambering  in  and  out 
among  the  rocks,  and  doubtless  other  nests  were  near, 
but  in  more  secluded  positions. 

The  banks  of  streams  are  favorite  localities,  and 
I  have  sometimes  seen  the  birds  hop  upon  a  muddy 
flat  as  if  looking  for  food,  but  such  a  change  is  un- 
common. They  prefer  climbing  or  clinging  when 
not  on  the  wing,  and  no  position  seems  unsuitable  for 
singing. 

This  bird  is  one  of  many  that  sing  at  night.     Not 


46  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

merely  during  the  twilight,  but  long  after  the  sun  has 
set  and  stars  are  visible.  In  the  summer  of  1893  I 
heard  one  singing  long  after  twilight,  while  passing 
a  dense  growth  of  rhododendrons  on  the  water's 
edge.  There  was  no  moon,  and  the  general  hush 
that  rested  over  the  landscape  indicated  that  no  dis- 
turbance of  the  locality  had  occurred.  The  notes 
were  many,  varied,  and  in  full  tone,  and  not  the 
drawn-out  ones  that  indicate  the  bird  is  singing  in  its 
sleep. 

Bewick's  wren  is  a  Western  species  that  bears  a 
close  resemblance  to  the  Carolina,  but  is  slightly 
smaller,  and  not  nearly  so  fine  a  singer.  Its  general 
habits  are  about  the  same. 

Holding  prominent  place  among  the  small  birds  of 
the  far  West  is  the  Cactus-wren. 

Dr.  Coues  says  of  this  bird, — 

"  The  English  name  which  the  '  Cactus'-wren  has  acquired  indi- 
cates the  nature  of  its  customary  resorts,  and  affords  a  hint  of  its 
peculiar  nidification.  As  we  have  already  seen,  several  of  the  Ari- 
zona birds  are  architects  of  singular  skill  and  taste ;  the  Cactus-wren 
is  one  of  them.  In  the  most  arid  and  desolate  regions  of  the  South- 
west, where  the  cacti  flourish  with  wonderful  luxuriance,  covering  the 
impoverished  tracts  of  volcanic  dtbris  with  a  kind  of  vegetation  only 
less  surly  and  forbidding  than  the  very  scoria,  this  wren  makes  its 
home,  and  places  its  nests  on  every  hand  in  the  thorny  embrace  of  the 
repulsive  vegetation.  True  to  the  instincts  and  traditions  of  the 
wren  family,  it  builds  a  bulky  and  conspicuous  domicile ;  and  when 
many  are  breeding  together,  the  structures  become  as  noticeable  as 
the  nests  which  a  colony  of  marsh-wrens  build  in  the  heart  of  the 
swaying  reeds." 

Probably  no  two  small  birds  common  to  the  East- 
ern States,  and  found  in  almost  every  reedy  meadow, 
are  so  little  known  to  people  generally  as  the  Marsh- 


-y 


LONG-BILLED  MARSH- WRENS  AND  NEST. 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  47 

wrens.  There  are  two,  the  long-  and  the  short-billed 
species,  the  former  being  more  common  in  the  Mid- 
dle States  in  summer,  and  the  latter  the  more  com- 
mon in  New  England.  In  general  habits  they  are 
quite  alike,  building  nests  of  the  same  pattern.  One, 
however,  the  short-billed  species,  lays  white  eggs; 
the  other,  the  long-billed  wren,  eggs  that  are  so 
speckled  with  chocolate  dots  that  they  appear  at  first 
glance  to  be  of  a  uniform  brown. 

In  the  valley  of  the  Delaware  the  marsh-wrens  are 
abundant  as  far  as  tide-water  extends,  but  I  have  not 
noticed  them  in  and  about  the  ponds  above  it.  They 
may  be  there  in  abundance,  however.  There  are 
three  features  of  these  wrens'  lives  that  are  prominent 
characteristics  :  they  live  in  colonies ;  they  build  huge 
globular  nests  in  reeds  and  bulrushes  ;  they  never 
leave  their  homes,  and  always  half  the  colony  sings 
at  once,  or  one  bird  rising  above  the  reeds  gives  the 
order,  as  it  were,  and  the  colony  joins  in  the  chorus. 

Is  it  quite  fair  to  speak  of  a  bird's  song  as  "con- 
temptible," as  has  been  done,  when  it  is  a  clear,  rip- 
pling note,  admirably  adapted  to  the  surroundings  ? 
This  little  wren's  voice  always  suggested  to  me  that 
it  gathered  up  drops  of  water,  charged  them  with 
music,  and  let  them  trickle  down  the  reeds. 

My  own  observations  of  the  nests  have  all  been 
made  in  the  same  neighborhood  that  Wilson  studied 
them,  and  now  these  nests  lack  a  great  deal  of  the 
mud,  and  of  many  hundreds  I  have  found  only  one 
had  a  "  penthouse." 

It  is  often  asserted  that  our  climate  is  changing, 
and  probably  in  one  respect  it  is:  we  are  having 


48  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

longer  and  warmer  autumns.  I  think,  take  them  as 
a  whole,  our  migratory  birds  linger  longer  than  for- 
merly. I  have  seen  marsh -wrens  as  late  as  October 
4,  and  they  were  singing,  too.  Their  stay  is  long 
enough  to  raise  three  broods,  but  I  have  no  knowl- 
edge that  they  do. 

The  Brown  Thrasher,  which  is  not  a  "  thrush,"  as  is 
generally  supposed,  is  a  familiar  feature  of  the  country 
in  the  Middle  States  and  New  England  during  the 
summer,  and  of  the  Southern  States  in  winter.  It 
comes  to  New  Jersey  in  April,  and  later  as  it  pro- 
ceeds northward,  but  is  nowhere  a  laggard  as  a  mi- 
gratory bird.  It  does  not  worry  if  Jack  Frost  dusts 
its  tail  with  salt.  Having  reached  its  chosen  sum- 
mer home,  it  immediately  begins  a  series  of  rejoic- 
ings over  the  fact,  singing  songs  peculiarly  its  own 
and  of  remarkable  range,  expression,  and  feeling. 
No  description  can  give  a  correct  idea  of  how  it 
sings  and  what  it  seems  to  say.  Nuttall  correctly 
says, — 

"  His  music  has  the  full  charm  of  innate  originality ;  he  takes  no 
delight  in  mimicry,  and  has  therefore  no  title  to  the  name  of 
Mocking-bird.  On  his  first  appearance  he  falters  in  his  song  like 
the  nightingale,  but  when  his  mate  commences  her  cares  and  labors, 
his  notes  attain  all  their  vigor  and  variety." 

I  have  for  years  listened  to  the  best  efforts  of  what 
I  call  the  pioneer  thrashers,  and  I  could  not  detect  a 
trace  of  faltering.  There  appears  to  be  always  a  few 
in  advance  of  the  general  flight,  and  these  birds  make 
themselves  known  in  no  uncertain  way.  I  have  seen 
one  very  early  in  April,  when  the  morning  was  glit- 
tering with  hoar-frost,  perch  upon  the  very  top  of  a 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  49 

tall,  slender  birch,  and  while  the  bended  twig  swayed 
with  the  bird's  weight  and  motion,  this  forerunning 
thrasher  filled  the  whole  air  with  melody.    The  united 
voices  of  the   rest- 
less   red-wings,  the 
twanging      of     the 
grakl  e's      wiry 
tongue,  the  cry  of  the  spar- 
row-hawk, and  the  morning 
hymn  of  the  foxie  sparrows 
could  not  drown  it.     Of  all 
spring-tide  sounds,  it  most 
thoroughly  puts   the  world 
in  touch  with  the  new  year, 
with  the  days  of  budding  trees  and 
the  greening  of  the  grass. 

The  thrasher  locates  his  nest  in  such 
a  variety  of  places  that  it  is  difficult 
to  know  where  to  look  for  it,  but  Wil- 
son does  not  mention  the  fact  that  it 
is  very  often  directly  upon  the  ground, 
and  I  have  often  heard  the  name  Brown  Thrasher. 
"  ground-thrush"  given  to  it  on  ac- 
count of  this  habit.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  often 
built  in  a  pretty  elevated  position.  For  several  years 
a  nest  of  this  bird  was  rebuilt  among  the  rank  cables 
of  a  poison-ivy  that  covered  the  trunk  of  a  large 
sassafras.  The  nest  was  about  twenty  feet  from  the 
ground.  There  were  always  two  broods  raised. 

It  is  scarcely  safe  to  speak  too  confidently  of  the 
character  of  a  bird's  nest,  unless  you  hold  one  in 
your  hand  and  describe  it.     The  great  degree  of 
c       d  S 


5o  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

individuality  among  birds  necessarily  results  in  two 
things :  degrees  of  energy  and  degrees  of  skill.  Birds 
are  no  more  mere  machines  cast  in  the  same  mould 
than  are  men,  and  hence  arises  the  insuperable  diffi- 
culty of  giving  an  account  of  a  bird's  habits  that 
every  observer  will  find  tallies  with  his  experiences 
and  impressions.  A  description  so  general  as  to  do 
this  will  not  be  of  any  value  to  those  who  really  wish 
to  know  something  of  the  bird-life  about  them. 

Everybody  is  supposed  to  know  the  Cat-bird,  and 
it  deserves  to  be  known.  For  some  unaccountable 
reason  there  is  a  wide-spread  prejudice  existing,  but 
the  birds  are  worth  their  weight  in  gold  to  every 
farmer ;  are  excellent  singers,  and  have  such  delight- 


Cat-bird. 

ful,  pert  ways,  that  no  one,  not  a  positive  brute,  can 
deliberately  do  them  harm.  Their  habit  of  mewing  like 
a  cat  should  prejudice  no  one  against  them,  for  they 
are  not  cats  nor  cat-like,  but  jolly  song-birds  who  eat 
enormous  quantities  of  noxious  insects  and  pay  ten 
times  over  for  all  the  fruit  they  take.  I  have  heard 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  51 

a  deal  of  argument  about  this,  but  every  one  who 
disputes  my  assertion  is  too  lazy  to  prove  it  for  him- 
self or  has  not  wit  enough  to  reach  any  conclusion. 

Cat-birds,  as  we  have  seen,  are  migratory.  They 
love  the  sunny  south,  and  are  on  their  way  as  soon 
as  the  frosts  of  October  dull  the  green  meadows  and 
paint  the  forest;  but  of  late  there  have  been  some 
that  are  too  lazy  or  have  changed  their  mind.  They 
linger  now  in  New  Jersey,  in  sheltered  places,  few  in 
numbers,  of  course,  feeding  on  the  berries  of  the 
greenbrier.  But  other  food  is  not  denied  them. 
The  last  I  saw  was  scratching,  chewink-like,  in  the 
dead  leaves ;  and  there  is  animal  life  among  these 
even  in  the  depths  of  winter.  This  overstaying  cat- 
bird did  not  seem  out  of  place ;  his  fretful  cry  was 
almost  musical,  and  the  confident  hop,  straight  and 
certain  flight,  and  general  well-to-do  manner  quite 
clearly  evidenced  that  the  bird  was  suffering  no  in- 
convenience. The  winter  sunshine  was  good  enough 
for  him,  and  well  it  might  be,  for  he  was  never  with- 
out company. 

So  much  has  been  written  about  the  Mocking-bird 
that  any  detailed  account  is  uncalled  for.  Essay 
after  essay  have  appeared  in  magazines  ;  columns  of 
newspapers  have  been  given  up  to  discussions  con- 
cerning it,  and  the  bird  is  so  common  in  cages,  that 
to  merely  name  it  calls  up  a  vivid  picture  of  this 
"  prince  of  song." 

In  Central  New  Jersey  this  bird  was  a  regular 
summer  visitor  fifty  years  ago,  as  I  find  by  many 
references  to  him  in  unpublished  records,  and  I  have 
been  informed  that  about  Philadelphia,  in  the  begin- 


52  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

ning  of  the  century,  it  was  almost  as  abundant  as 
the  cat-bird.  Now  it  is  rare.  The  reason  for  this 
change  of  habit  is  difficult  to  determine,  unless  it  be 
that  every  one  that  appears  is  chased  away  or  capt- 
ured. 

The  following  is  W.  L.  Baily's  admirable  account 
of  this  strange  bird  : 

"  The  air  is  soft  and  balmy,  and  possessed  of  a  peculiar  freshness 
which  is  characteristic  of  a  pine  forest.  Nature  here  seems  to  have 
profusely  spread  her  charms  on  every  side,  pointing  us  at  each  step 
to  some  new  object  of  admiration.  The  mellow  whistle  of  the  Red- 
bird  is  heard  overhead,  together  with  the  call  of  the  Jay,  the  soft 
warbling  of  the  Vireos,  the  mewing  of  the  Cat-bird,  the  loud,  clear 
melody  of  the  Wood-robin,  the  shrill  cry  of  the  Woodpecker,  and 
many  other  voices  equally  attractive.  As  we  advance  into  the  thicket 
the  confusion  of  sounds  increases ;  every  song  with  which  we  are 
familiar,  and  many  more,  seem  suddenly  let  loose  upon  the  ear ;  and 
last,  though  it  is  broad  day,  we  are  surprised  to  hear  the  cry  of  the 
Whip-poor-will.  This  exciting  our  curiosity,  we  naturally  look 
around  to  discover  the  cause  of  so  strange  an  occurrence ;  but  still 
sounds  the  clear  cry  of  «  Whip-poor-will !  whip-poor-will !'  When 
suddenly  there  darts  up  from  a  low  bush  near  by  a  fine  Mocking- 
bird, and  settling  on  a  branch  within  our  view,  continues  his  varied 
melody.  The  secret  is  at  once  explained ;  the  little  mimic  before 
us  has  been  the  sole  cause  of  our  surprise,  and  there  he  sits  flirting 
his  long  tail  from  side  to  side  with  an  air  of  perfect  satisfaction,  ex- 
panding his  wings  and  stretching  his  neck  in  all  directions,  while  he 
calls  out  with  much  animation, '  Bob- White !  Bob-White !'  and  be- 
fore poor  Bob- White  has  time  to  scamper  to  his  covey,  the  screams 
of  the  Pigeon-hawk  are  heard  wild  and  clear;  then  immediately  his 
voice  falls  into  some  soft  and  tender  warble,  gradually  rising  higher 
and  higher  until  we  recognize,  among  a  host  of  others,  the  clear  and 
ringing  melody  of  the  Brown  Thrush,  set  off  with  the  gentler  tones 
of  the  Robin  and  Bluebird,  occasionally  interspersed  with  some  fine, 
pleasing  original  notes.  We  stand  and  listen  with  delight  to  this 
grand  concert  of  Nature's  great  musician,  his  voice  ever  changing, 
ever  sweet,  until  the  twilight  unconsciously  steals  upon  us ;  still  the 
serenade  continues.  The  pale  moon  glimmers  in  the  eastern  sky, 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  53 

and  as  it  grows  brighter  and  brighter  and  darts  its  vivid  beams  into 
the  forest's  deep  recess,  our  little  performer,  as  though  animated  with 
fresh  spirit,  seems  to  strain  his  utmost  powers  in  pouring  forth  a  flood 
of  the  most  enchanting  song.  This  exquisite  aerial  music  is  often 
maintained  during  most  of  the  night,  or  until  the  moon  sets,  two  or 
three  birds  sometimes  vying  with  each  other  in  the  strength  of  their 


It  is  a  matter  of  much  annoyance  to  find  that 
nature  has  fitted  the  American  Dipper  to  inhabit  the 
mountainous  districts  of  Western  North  America 
north  to  Alaska  and  south  to  Guatemala,  and  vouch- 
safed no  nook  or  corner  of  eastern  land  a  few  repre- 
sentatives even  of  this  strange  and  most  interesting 
bird.  J.  K.  Lord,  who  had  abundant  opportunities 
of  observing  this  ouzel,  or  dipper,  says, — 

"  It  eschews  all  sociable  communion,  disdaining  the  slightest  ap- 
proach to  a  gregarious  life  except  when  mated,  choosing  invariably 
wild  mountain  streams,  where,  amidst  the  roar  of  cascades,  whirling 
eddies,  and  swift  torrents,  it  passes  its  lonely  life. 

"  I  once  found  the  nest  of  the  American  dipper  built  among  the 
roots  of  a  large  cedar-tree  that  had  floated  down  the  stream  and  got 
jammed  against  the  mill-dam  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  old 
grist-mill,  at  Fort  Colville,  on  a  tributary  to  the  upper  Columbia 
River.  The  water,  rushing  over  a  jutting  ledge  of  rocks,  formed  a 
small  cascade  that  fell  like  a  veil  of  water  before  the  dipper's  nest; 
and  it  was  most  curious  to  see  the  birds  dash  through  the  water-fall 
rather  than  go  in  at  the  sides,  and  in  that  way  get  behind  it.  For 
hours  I  have  sat  and  watched  the  busy  pair  passing  in  and  out 
through  the  fall  with  as  much  apparent  ease  as  an  equestrian  per- 
former jumps  through  a  hoop  covered  with  tissue-paper.  The  nest 
was  ingeniously  constructed  to  prevent  the  spray  from  wetting  the 
interior,  the  mass  being  so  worked  over  the  entrance  as  to  form  an 
admirable  veranda." 

In  the  Eastern  States  we  have  nothing  approaching 
this  bird  in  all  its  peculiarities,  yet  there  are  some 
5* 


54  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

points  in  the  nesting  and  other  habits  of  well-known 
birds  that  bear  a  faint  resemblance.  Our  common 
pewee,  for  instance,  breeds  in  excessively  damp 
places  occasionally.  I  remember  having  my  atten- 
tion called  by  the  miller  to  a  pewee's  nest  that  was 
so  near  the  edge  of  the  water-fall  that  it  was  difficult 
to  see  how  it  remained  dry  when  there  was  an  exces- 
sive flow,  or  when  the  wind  was  directly  north.  The 
miller  told  me  he  had  seen  the  mist  so  dense  that  the 
bird  was  lost  to  sight  in  it  going  and  coming  from 
the  nest.  I  remember,  too,  finding  a  nest  on  a  ledge 
of  rock,  overhung  by  another,  from  which  the  waters 
of  a  spring  were  trickling.  This  falling  water  was 
too  great  in  volume  and  the  bird  too  large  for  it  to 
fly  between  the  drops  on  coming  from  or  going  to 
its  nest. 

Winter-wrens,  notwithstanding  the  time  of  year, 
seem  quite  indifferent  to  water,  and  more  than  thrust 
their  bills  into  the  shallow  brooks,  and  explore 
damp,  dripping,  gloomy  caverns  where  all  is  sodden, 
and  yet  come  to  the  light  again  with  every  feather 
dry  and  a  chirp  of  satisfaction  at  their  beak's  end. 
Swallows,  as  we  all  know,  do  not  object  to  a  spray 
bath,  and  I  have  a  strong  inclination  to  believe  I 
have  seen  our  common  spotted  sand-piper  deliber- 
ately dive ;  still,  I  am  not  sure ;  but  enough  has  been 
seen  to  show  that  the  habits  of  the  dipper  have  come 
about  quite  naturally,  and  have  nothing  marvellous 
about  them. 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS. 


CHAPTER  II. 

f 
THE  PERCHING  BIRDS. — (Continued.) 

IN  the  Titlark  we  have  one  of  those  northern  birds 
that  enter  the  United  States  in  autumn  and  remain 
until  spring,  and  often  until  the  weather  is  quite  warm, 
or  nearly  the  first  of  May.  As  a  winter  bird  they 
would  be  a  grand  success  if  they  had  any  music  in 
their  souls,  but  they  have  not,  or,  having  it,  let  not 
the  outside  world  have  any  intimation  of  the  fact. 
A  whole  flock  of  these  birds,  however,  tripping  over 
the  frost-bitten  fields,  or  drifting  before  the  wind  when 
a  gale  sweeps  across  the  meadows,  is  really  a  very 
pretty  sight.  I  have  often  found  them  associated 
with  another  and  far  prettier  so-called  "lark,"  of 
which  more  hereafter. 

In  the  interior  plains  of  North  America,  breeding 
from  Central  Dakota  north  to  the  Saskatchewan, 
south,  in  winter,  over  southern  plains  to  Southern 
Mexico,  is  found  Sprague's  Pipit,  which  is  much  the 
same  bird  as  our  eastern  species  in  its  habits. 

We  are  now  brought  to  consider  a  group  of  North 
American  birds  which  have  much  in  common,  and 
yet  present  more  variations  from  a  common  type 
than  is  usual ;  these  little  birds,  and  they  are  all  small, 
are  known  popularly  as  Warblers.  I  say  "  known 
popularly,"  but  it  is  a  rather  remarkable  fact  that  the 
great  mass  of  our  people  do  not  yet  recognize  them 


56  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

as  a  feature  of  our  own  fields  and  forest.  It  is  safe 
to  assert  that  a  hooded  or  blackburnian  warbler  being 
exhibited  in  a  mixed  assembly  will  not  be  recognized 
by  one  person  in  five  hundred  ;  yet  these  superb  birds 
are  not  from  the  tropics,  but  a  home  product. 

On  referring  to  Ridgway's  Manual,  we  find  that 
the  Wood-warblers,  known  scientifically  as  Mniotil- 
tida,  are  divided  into  fifteen  genera,  and  of  species 
there  are  some  fifty-five,  four  of  which  straggle  to 
Texas  from  the  south ;  three  are  "  oven-birds"  or 
"  water-thrushes,"  and  one  is  the  yellow-breasted 
chat.  Of  course  there  is  an  endless  series  in  the 
books  of  "  races,"  subspecies,  and  all  that  result  of 
excessive  museum  zeal ;  but  probably  the  birds  that 
have  been  separated  by  the  ornithologists  are  one 
with  their  brethren,  in  their  own  estimation ;  and  cer- 
tainly to  him  or  her  who  in  May  watches  a  flight  of 
warblers  in  the  blooming  orchard,  it  will  matter  little 
whether  the  blue-winged  species,  for  instance,  has  a 
yellow  chin  or  white.  They  move  in  the  trees  in  the 
same  way,  lisp  the  same  simple  song,  and  breed 
among  themselves,  be  they  of  the  white  or  yellow 
branch  of  their  immediate  family. 

As  a  group,  the  warblers  spend  the  summer  in  the 
more  northern  portion  of  the  country,  and  retire  to 
warmer  districts  on  the  approach  of  cold  weather. 
As  they  are  insect-eaters,  this  is  more  or  less  of  a 
necessity;  and  yet  we  have  more  than  one  species 
that  can  brave  a  winter  of  the  Middle  States,  and 
they  have  been  found  in  Massachusetts  at  this  time 
of  year,  where  the  season  is  more  prolonged  and  the 
average  degree  of  cold  greater. 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  57 

Warblers,  viewed  as  to  their  habits,  are  birds  of 
the  trees,  of  the  low  bushes,  of  the  ground,  and  of  the 
water.  It  is  seldom,  then,  that  we  can  wander  out  of 
town  in  any  direction,  from  April  to  October,  and  not 
see  one  or  more  members  of  the  great  group.  But 
how  are  they  to  be  recognized  from  true  flycatchers, 
or  sparrows,  or  greenlets  ?  This  is  not  always  an 
easy  matter,  but  there  are  a  few  points  that  may  be 
borne  in  mind.  Warblers  are  little  birds,  less  rather 
than  more  than  five  inches  in  length,  slender,  with  a 
narrow,  sharp  bill,  and  usually  colored  very  conspic- 
uously. They  are  warblers  by  name,  but  do  not,  as 
a  rule,  have  any  song  that  attracts  attention;  and 
when  migrating,  often  merely  utter  a  sibilant  lisp  that 
is  harsh  and  unpleasant.  The  "  song,"  of  course, 
varies  among  the  different  species,  and  the  birds  can 
be  recognized,  in  many  cases,  by  the  character  of  the 
utterance.  They  are  all  extremely  restless  birds,  and 
move  among  the  branches  of  the  trees  with  so  rapid 
a  movement  that  identification  becomes  difficult,  es- 
pecially among  those  that  are  rather  plainly  colored. 
This  quick  manner  indicates  at  once  that  they  are 
not  sparrows. 

The  number  being  so  great,  it  is  impracticable  to 
give  a  detailed  description  of  each,  even  of  those  that 
are  common  to  our  Atlantic  seaboard.  The  first  of 
the  great  migratory  troupe  to  appear  is  the  "  Yellow 
Red-poll,"  and  often,  very  early  in  April,  a  hundred 
or  more  will  be  found  in  an  orchard  or  among  the 
pines  about  the  farm-house.  They  twitter  rather  than 
sing,  hunt  insects  with  tireless  assiduity,  remain  but 
a  short  time,  and  leave  their  hunting-grounds  for 


58  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

others,  who  find  just  as  abundant  a  supply  of  food, 
if  we  may  judge  from  their  actions.  It  sometimes 
happens  that  we  will  see  no  other  warblers  for  several 
days,  but  as  May  approaches  the  Black-throated 
Green  Warblers  make  their  appearance :  these  have 
a  louder  and  rather  pleasing  song.  But  by  the  first 
of  May  (I  am  writing  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, 
and  vicinity)  all  that  are  coming  have  generally  ar- 
rived, and  a  merry  time  then  there  is  in  the  tree-tops. 
They  are  all  very  lively,  and  some  of  them  decked  out 
almost  like  clowns.  They  are  yellow  and  black,  and 
such  make  a  splendid  show ;  they  are  blue,  black,  and 
white,  and  these  are  as  conspicuous  as  the  bloom  on 
the  fruit-trees.  There  is  one  with  an  orange  front 
that  glows  like  a  flame,  and  one,  dearer  than  all  the 
rest,  of  rich  yellow  with  faint  dashes  of  red.  I  say 
dearer  than  the  rest,  because  a  sweet  singer,  and  has 
the  good  taste  to  remain  in  this  favored  part  of  the 
world  all  summer  long. 

"This  is  a  very  common  summer  species,  and  appears  almost 
always  actively  employed  among  the  leaves  and  blossoms  of  the  wil- 
lows, snow-ball  shrub,  and  poplars,  searching  after  small  green  cat- 
erpillars, which  are  its  principal  food.  It  has  a  few  shrill  notes, 
uttered  with  emphasis,  but  not  deserving  the  name  of  song.  It  ar- 
rives in  Pennsylvania  about  the  beginning  of  May,  and  departs  again 
for  the  south  about  the  middle  of  September.  It  is  a  very  sprightly, 
unsuspicious,  and  familiar  little  bird ;  is  often  seen  in  and  about  gar- 
dens, among  the  blossoms  of  fruit-trees  and  shrubberies ;  and,  on 
account  of  its  color,  is  very  noticeable.  Its  nest  is  built  with  great 
neatness,  generally  in  the  triangular  fork  of  a  small  shrub,  near,  or 
among,  brier-bushes.  Outwardly  it  is  composed  of  flax  or  tow,  in 
thick  circular  layers,  strongly  twisted  round  the  twigs  that  rise  through 
its  sides,  and  lined  within  with  hair  and  the  soft  downy  substance 
from  the  stalks  of  fern.  The  eggs  are  four  or  five,  of  a  dull  white, 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  59 

thickly  sprinkled  near  the  great  end  with  specks  of  pale  brown. 
They  raise  two  broods  in  the  season.  This  little  bird,  like  many 
others,  will  feign  lameness  to  draw  you  away  from  its  nest,  stretching 
out  his  neck,  spreading  and  bending  down  his  tail  until  it  trails  along 
the  branch,  and  fluttering  feebly  along  to  draw  you  after  him ;  some- 
times looking  back  to  see  if  you  are  following  him,  and  returning 
back  to  repeat  the  same  manoeuvres  in  order  to  attract  your  atten- 
tion. The  male  is  most  remarkable  for  this  practice." — WlLSON. 

Judged  by  numbers  alone,  the  "  Myrtle-bird,"  or 
Yellow-rumped  Warbler,  is  the  type  of  the  whole 
group,  as  we  see  it  represented  in  the  Delaware 
Valley.  A  few  are  here  all  winter,  and  however 


Myrtle-bird. 

correct  may  have  been  the  statement  at  the  time,  the 
remark  that  their  spring  sojourn  is  very  brief  will 
now  no  longer  apply  to  this  vicinity.  They  come 
in  full  force  in  early  April,  and  I  have  seen  many  a 
dozen  among  the  willows  along  the  river  after  the 
middle  of  May ;  and  a  few  appear  so  very  early  again 
in  September  that  it  would  not  be  surprising  if  they 
were  found  breeding  in  the  hemlock  swamps  of 
Northern  Pennsylvania,  but,  of 'course,  these  early 
autumn  birds  may  have  come  from  Vermont  or  New 
Hampshire. 

A  conspicuously  colored  and  unwarbler-like  war- 


60  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

bier  is  the  "  Black-and- White  Tree-creeping"  one, 
that  here,  too,  is  a  resident,  making  a  neat  nest  on  the 
ground,  but  living  in  the  trees  even  more  closely 
than  most  of  the  family.  In  its  movements  it  is 
quite  like  the  brown  tree-creeper  already  noticed. 
This  species  is  really  quite  hardy,  and  braves  a  good 
deal  of  cold,  and  yet  is  stated  to  be  one  that  quickly 
seeks  a  semi-tropical  climate  when  our  winter  ap- 
proaches. I  believe  they  do  not  all  leave  their 
summer  haunts,  for  they  are  back  again  in  April, 
when  we  are  apt  to  have  quite  cold  storms  that  do 
not  disconcert  them. 

Another  summer  resident  in  the  Delaware  Valley, 
but  one  that  varies  in  numbers  year  after  year,  is 
the  Worm-eating  Warbler.  Its  brown  head  with  dis- 
tinct darker  streaks  render  it  easily  recognized,  and 
in  Southern  New  Jersey  the  Parula  and  Hooded 
Warblers  tarry  all  summer,  while  more  than  one 
"  Canadian"  form  is  to  be  found  nesting  in  the  hem- 
lock swamps  of  Northern  Pennsylvania. 

But  to  see  the  warblers  in  their  glory ;  to  hear  the 
music  they  are  capable  of  performing ;  to  know  them 
at  their  best,  it  is  necessary  to  visit  the  woods  and 
wastes  of  Canada  and  Northern  New  England.  Their 
presence,  at  such  a  time,  makes  the  country  south  of  it 
almost  commonplace.  The  birds  of  the  region  known 
as  the  Carolinian  fauna  are  well  enough  in  their  way, 
but  their  united  efforts  do  not  eclipse  the  northern 
woods  in  the  time  of  the  nesting  warblers. 

There  is  one  warbler,  however,  that  for  beauty  and 
vivacity,  and  with  some  pretension  to  song,  is  almost 
the  equal  of  the  brilliant  migrants.  I  refer  to  the 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  61 

Redstart,  that  comes  early  in  spring  and  stays  until 
frost,  and  is  everywhere  abundant.  Although  a  bird 
of  the  trees,  it  is  not  necessarily  a  shy  bird  and  seen 
only  away  from  dwellings.  I  have  often  seen  scores 
of  them  in  the  village  street.  The  following  from 
Wilson  will  enable  one  to  recognize  this  black  and 
red-orange  bird : 

"  This  species  has  the  constant  habit  of  flirting  its  expanded  tail 
from  side  to  side  as  it  runs  along  the  branches,  with  its  head  levelled 
almost  in  a  line  with  its  body ;  occasionally  shooting  off  after  winged 
insects,  in  a  downward  zigzag  direction,  and  with  admirable  dexterity, 
snapping  its  bill  as  it  descends.  Its  notes  are  few  and  feeble,  re- 
peated at  short  intervals  as  it  darts  among  the  foliage ;  having  at 
some  times  a  resemblance  to  the  sounds  sic-sic-saic,  at  others  of 
weesy-weesy-weesy ;  which  last  seems  to  be  its  call  for  the  female, 
while  the  former  appears  to  be  its  most  common  note." 

All  the  nests  of  redstarts  that  I  have  found  have 
been  built  in  bushes  overhanging  the  water.  They 
are  elaborate  structures,  and  not  concealed  in  any 
way ;  and  to  overcome  this  objection,  the  location 
mentioned  may  have  been  selected.  This  expe- 
rience of  mine  in  nest-hunting  does  not  agree  with 
Nuttall's  description  of  the  chosen  spots,  but  he  may 
have  made  his  observations  in  a  far-distant  region. 
Certainly,  to-day,  the  redstart  has  no  objection  even 
to  village  streets  if  there  are  trees  in  abundance,  and 
I  have  frequently  seen  them  in  the  open  "  squares"  of 
Philadelphia. 

The  song  is  a  pleasing  tsee-lsee-tseet,  with  some 
variations,  and  appears  to  be  uttered  at  the  rate  of 
twelve  times  a  minute.  At  least  this  was  accom- 
plished by  one  individual  that  I  watched  for  seven 


62  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

minutes  while  it  gleaned  the  visible  insects  of  a  tall 
tulip-tree. 

A  splendid  representative  of  the  warblers  that  re- 
mains all  summer  in  the  Middle  States,  and  sings 
rather  than  splutters  over  squeaky  efforts  at  melody, 
is  the  Maryland  Yellow-throat. 

Given  a  piece  of  marshy  ground,  with  an  abun- 
dance of  skunk-cabbage  and  a  fairly  dense  growth 

of  saplings,  and  near 
by  a  tangle  of  green- 
brier  and  blackberry, 
and  you  will  be  pretty 
sure  to  have  it  ten- 
anted by  a  pair  of 
yellow-throats.  If 
Redstart-  they  are  there  you 

will  quickly  know  it,  even  if  you  do  not  see  them, 
for  they  are  forever  tswee-tee-tee,  tswee-tee-tee-tee\wg, 
or,  changing  their  tune,  ask,  in  sweetly-warbled  words, 
"  Where  did  you  get  it  ?" 

The  yellow-throat  has  grown  bolder  since  Wilson's 
day,  and  now  some  modifications  are  called  for  in  the 
following  by  that  author  : 

"  This  is  one  of  the  humble  inhabitants  of  briers,  brambles,  alder- 
bushes,  and  such  shrubbery  as  grows  most  luxuriantly  in  low  watery 
situations,  and  might  with  propriety  be  denominated  Humility,  its 
business  or  ambition  seldom  leading  it  higher  than  the  tops  of  the 
underwood.  Insects  and  their  larvae  are  its  usual  food.  It  dives 
into  the  deepest  of  the  thicket,  rambles  among  the  roots,  searches 
round  the  stems,  examines  both  sides  of  the  leaf,  raising  itself  on  its 
legs  so  as  to  peep  into  every  crevice  ;  amusing  itself  at  times  with  a 
very  simple,  and  not  disagreeable,  song." 

If  you  happen  to  disturb  the  nest  the  "  humility" 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  63 

will  be  found  to  have  given  way  to  boldness,  and  the 
wren-like  habits  otherwise  are  added  to  by  a  decided 
disposition  to  defend  its  own.  Again,  its  song,  of 
late,  has  a  great  deal  of  self-assertion  in  it,  if  loud, 
distinct  utterance  has  any  signification.  I  doubt  if 
any  crested  tit  or  cardinal  makes  itself  heard  for  a 
greater  distance  than 
travels  the  shriller 
notes  of  this  warbler. 
While  I  have  never 
seen  these  birds  in  the 
city,  they  do  not  hesi- 
tate to  go  into  the  Maryland  Yellow-throat. 

good  old-fashioned  gardens  in  the  country,  however 
near  the  house  they  may  be,  and  are  quite  disposed  to 
forage  on  the  sunny  sides  of  cow-sheds  and  stables. 

I  have  found  several  nests  in  skunk-cabbage  plants, 
and  still  wonder  if  they  were  placed  there  for  protec- 
tion, for  probably  no  animal  is  disposed  to  touch  the 
plant  if  it  can  avoid  it;  but  what  of  the  sense  of 
smell  in  the  birds  ? 

Classed  as  a  warbler,  but  unlike  them  in  every 
particular  as  we  see  the  bird  in  nature,  is  that  re- 
markable mimic  and  strange  creature  generally,  the 
Yellow-breasted  Chat.  "  The  bird  does  not  appear 
to  winter  anywhere  in  the  United  States ;  it  breeds 
throughout  its  United  States  range." 

According  to  the  temperature,  but  never  very  early, 
in  April,  and  sometimes  not  until  May,  does  the  chat 
appear  in  the  Delaware  Valley,  and  then  he  betakes 
himself  immediately  to  a  locality  suited  to  his  needs, 
and  there  he  stays.  They  spend  no  days  in  sight- 


64  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

seeing,  and  leave  untravelled  all  the  tree-tops  save 
the  very  few  that  surround  the  little  spot  they  have 
chosen  for  a  home.  The  coming  is  abrupt ;  and  even 
if  it  be  true  that  their  mates  come  later, — that  is,  the 
males  are  always  in  advance, — they  do  not  wait  in 
silence  until  they  are  moved  by  the  arrival  of  part- 
ners, but  commence  that  strange  series  of  cries  that 


Chat. 

are  so  remarkable.  If  the  females  follow,  they  are 
either  aware  of  where  their  mates  are,  or  accept  the 
very  first  bachelor  they  meet.  For  years  I  have  been 
familiar  with  the  movements  of  these  birds,  and  I 
have  never  seen  anything  suggestive  of  courtship. 
But  once  mated  and  their  married  life  is  one  long 
series  of  ecstatic  demonstration.  The  climax  of  the 
bird's  eccentricity  is  while  the  female  is  sitting,  when 
he  rises  to  a  height  of  several  feet  above  the  nest 
and,  with  fluttering  wings  and  dangling  legs,  sings  a 
strange  and  never  a  melodious  medley.  These 
strange  sounds  are  imitative  of  every  distressing  and 
harsh  sound  the  bird  has  ever  heard,  and  what  adds 
to  the  weirdness  of  it  all,  it  is  often  ventriloquially 
expressed.  The  bird  has  this  power,  and  is  aware  of 
its  value  in  deceiving  any  intruder.  I  have  experi- 
mented too  often  with  dozens  of  these  birds  not  to  be 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  65 

convinced  of  this,  and  it  is  an  open  question  if  some 
other  birds  do  not  also  "  throw  their  voice"  with  the 
intention  to  deceive.  When  the  chat  is  not  hovering, 
he  sticks  pretty  close  to  the  underbrush  in  which  is 
placed  the  nest,  and  here  and  on  the  ground  he 
feeds.  One  chat,  or  pair  of  them,  that  I  closely 
watched  during  an  entire  season,  did  not  appear  ever 
to  wander  more  than  fifty  yards  from  the  nest,  and  I 
am  puzzled  to  think  how  a  sufficient  supply  of  food 
could  have  been  obtained.  As  insects  are  depended 
upon,  they  apparently  only  had  those  that  wandered 
within  the  precincts  of  their  summer  home,  and  I 
never  saw  them  in  my  near-by  berry-patches. 

The  chat  is  a  night  singer.  I  have  heard  them  as 
late  as  midnight,  when  the  moon  was  full,  in  June, 
and  as  early  as  3.30  A.M.  the  next  morning,  when  it 
was  rather  cool  and  a  decided  fog  covered  the  low- 
lands. Being  astir  at  all  hours,  can  it  be  that  they 
wander  a  little  more  at  such  times  and  forage  in  areas 
they  do  not  visit  in  daylight  ? 

Birds  far  removed  from  typical  warblers  and  from 
the  chat,  and  yet  belonging  to  the  same  great  group, 
are  the  "  Accentors,"  "  Water-thrushes,"  "  Oven- 
bird,"  and  "  Wagtails."  There  are  but  three  species, 
with  a  far  western  variety  of  one  of  them.  The  re- 
semblance of  one  to  the  other  is  pretty  close,  and  all 
three  are  aquatic  in  habit,  sand-piper-like  in  move- 
ment, and  good  musicians. 

The  "  Oven-bird,"  so-called  from  the  character  of 
its  earth-built  nest,  is  much  the  best  known  of  the 
three.  It  reaches  the  Middle  States  in  April  and 
lingers  well  on  into  October,  if  we  have  a  series  of 

e  6* 


66  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

those  hazy,  golden,  dreamy  days,  such  as  our  grand- 
fathers talk  of,  as  Indian  summer  and  a  feature  of 
November.  We  have  such  days  now,  but  they  usu- 
ally come  a  month  earlier,  and  while  the  ripening 
chestnuts  are  being  scattered  by  the  squirrels  I  have 
heard  the  lingering  oven-birds  singing,  but  with  no 
such  ardor  as  characterizes  their  evening  song  in 
June;  for  the  tsee-tsee-tsee-tsee-tseetfae.  or  six  times 
repeated,  has  a  good  deal  of  music  in  it,  when  all  we 
hear  is  the  chirps  and  twitters  of  lazy  resident  birds 
or  the  chatter  of  blue-jays.  The  occasional  splendid 
burst  of  song,  first  described,  I  believe,  by  John  Bur- 
roughs, I  have  sometimes  heard.  It  is  as  described, 
"  clear,  ringing,  copious,  rivalling  the  goldfinch's  in 
vivacity  and  the  linnet's  in  melody." 

"  Its  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground,  usually  among  dead  leaves  on 
an  inclined  surface,  and  though  usually  arched  over  with  a  lateral 
opening,  is  often  of  a  simpler  construction." 

The  two  Water-thrushes  are  migratory  birds,  ap- 
pearing in  the  Middle  States  in  spring  and  autumn. 

Let  us  consider  these  birds  as  we  see  them  tripping 
along,  either  in  May  or  September.  Here  we  have, 
according  to  ornithologists,  a  warbler,  but  our  eyes 
tell  us  it  is  a  curious  combination  of  a  thrush  and  a 
sand-piper.  They  delight  not  only  in  the  more  quiet 
inland  waters,  but  seem  to  have  a  fancy  for  the  wind- 
tossed  ripples  of  tide-water  streams.  I  have  watched 
them  rush  in  and  out,  as  the  waves  came  and  went 
along  the  river-shore,  with  all  the  dexterity  and  grace 
of  a  sand-piper.  There  was  the  same  apparent  un- 
steadiness of  the  legs ;  the  same  dipping  of  the  tail 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  67 

and  bobbing  motion  of  the  head.  Every  movement 
suggested  an  aquatic  life ;  and  while  so  engaged  the 
only  sound  they  make  is  a  single,  short,  sharp  chirp 
when  alarmed.  But  there  are  occasions  when  all 
this  is  changed.  In  the  early  summer  it  finds  time 
to  leave  the  water's  edge  and  go  deeply  into  the 
swamps,  where  the  undergrowth  is  almost  impene- 
trable. It  moves  amid  this  tangle  with  the  same 
ease  that  marked  its  progress  on  the  pebbly  beach 
or  over  the  yielding  mud-flat.  But  when  in  the 
woods  it  does  something  more  than  merely  chirp. 
In  an  extensive  tide-water  swamp,  where  I  have  often 
found  these  birds,  I  have  heard  them  sing,  seldom  in 
light  of  day,  but  often  in  the  gloaming.  Clear,  flute- 
like  notes  in  rapid  succession  were  poured  forth,  then 
shriller  and  wiry  ones,  and  these  followed  by  a  trill 
that  slowly  died  away.  The  song  is  not  always  the 
same,  and  probably  no  two  individuals  perform  it 
quite  alike.  To  my  hearing,  it  bears  no  resemblance 
to  the  evening  song  of  the  oven-bird.  The  nests  of 
the  two  water-thrushes  are  always  on  the  ground, 
and  those  of  the  short-billed  species  that  I  have  seen 
were  composed  almost  wholly  of  dried  sphagnum 
and  lined  with  fine  grass. 

A  family  of  warbler-like  birds,  yet  with  character- 
istics quite  their  own,  that  are  strictly  arboreal,  and 
so,  naturally,  insect-eaters,  are  the  plainly  colored, 
but  neat,  active,  musical  Vireos,  or  Greenlets.  The 
facts  that  they  are  greenish-olive  above  and  yellow 
or  yellow- white  below,  and  have  rather  stout,  hooked 
beaks  that  seem  better  adapted  than  a  warbler's  bill 
for  holding  on  to  big  insect  game, — these  points  will 


68  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

enable  the  observer  to  guess  pretty  shrewdly,  par- 
ticularly if  the  bird  in  question  is  in  the  tree-tops 
singing  loudly,  even  vociferously,  and  often  launch- 
ing out  like  a  pewee  to  catch  some  passing  insect. 

There  are  three  that  are  found  here  in  the  Middle 
States  abundantly, — the  Red-eyed,  the  White-eyed, 
and  the  Warbling  Vireo.  Warren,  in  "  Birds  of  Penn- 
sylvania," says  that  the  Yellow-throated  Vireo  "breeds 
sparingly  or  irregularly  in  nearly  all  sections  of  the 
State,  but  is  apparently  much  more  frequently  met 
with  in  the  mountainous  and  elevated  woodland 
regions,  particularly  in  the  northern  counties,  than 
elsewhere  as  a  summer  resident."  Like  many  an- 
other insect-feeder,  they  can  take  to  a  vegetarian  diet 
when  necessity  calls,  and  this,  I  think,  explains  why 
the  date  of  departure  in  autumn  is  so  irregular. 
Certain  it  is  that  the  low-lying  land  along  the  tide- 
water reaches  of  the  river  does  not  yield  to  winter's 
onslaught  as  does  the  hilly  back  country,  and  here 
birds  congregate  and  sometimes  remain  all  winter. 
The  cat-bird  and  some  warblers  remain;  the  che- 
wink  and  several  water-birds  find  a  sufficient  food- 
supply  ;  and  what  I  have  always  insisted  upon  was  a 
closer  inspection  of  some  bird-full  localities  that 
ornithologists  have  persistently  ignored.  Warren's 
"  Birds  of  Pennsylvania"  gives  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  birds  as  breeding  within  the  limits  of  that 
State  not  accredited  to  it  in  the  general  ornitholo- 
gies of  the  continent. 

The  Red-eyed  Vireo  comes  to  the  Middle  States 
early  in  April,  if  the  weather  proves  mild,  and  re- 
mains until  the  middle  of  October.  In  the  autumn 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  69 

of  1893,  while  I  was  sitting  at  a  window  in  the 
second  story  of  the  house,  one  of  these  birds  came 
to  a  maple-tree  on  the  street  not  ten  feet  away,  and 
there,  with  all  the  animation  of  an  August  forenoon, 
sang  its  well-known  song.  This  was  November  6, 
two  days  after  a  cold  northeast  rain-storm.  But  usu- 
ally all  the  vireos  are  gone  before  the  end  of  October. 
The  song  of  the  red-eye  is  not  readily  described. 
It  is  fairly  uniform  as  different  birds  sing  it,  and,  once 
heard,  it  is  easily  remembered.  It  may  be  called  an 
"  up-and-down"  warble,  the  notes  being  high  and 
low  alternately,  and  have  animation  or  not,  as  the 
bird  happens  to  feel.  The  long  lists  of  strangely- 
spelled  syllables  given  by  Nuttall  convey  some 
meaning  to  those  who  have  learned  the  song  from 
the  bird  itself,  but  are  a  poor  equipment  if  by  their 
aid  we  expect  to  recognize  the  bird.  Indeed,  it  is 
not  the  songs  of  birds  alone  that  are  beyond  the 
power  of  a  pen  to  convey  to  the  minds  of  others. 
We  can  describe  the  plumage,  the  nest,  and  the  eggs, 
but  what  of  the  spiritual  part  of  the  bird  ?  It  goes 
for  little  to  say  that  the  red-eye  is  an  all-day  insect- 
hunter,  and  builds  a  thin-walled  pensile  nest  in  the 
trees,  where  among  he  spends  the  summer.  There 
is  an  individuality  that  is  more  than  all  else,  and  yet 
no  words  can  depict  it.  In  all  birds  there  is  some- 
thing that  we  can  realize  by  our  eyesight,  but  must 
keep  to  ourselves.  Unless  a  bird  is  so  marked  as  to 
stand  out  as  prominently  as  the  mountains  on  the 
plain,  the  chances  are  he  will  be  confounded  with  his 
fellows.  The  red-eye  is  a  bird  of  our  towns,  pro- 
vided there  be  shade-trees ;  and  though  the  pavements 


70  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

and  fronts  of  the  houses  may  reflect  heat  as  from  a 
furnace-mouth,  the  bird  will  hunt  for  every  lurking  fly 
among  the  leaves,  and  sing  his  strange,  half- melan- 
choly song,  a  part  of  which  is  lamely  represented  by 
tsheevoo  tshuvee  peeait  peroi  ;  this  from  Nuttall. 

The  cow-bird  carefully  attends  the  red-eyes,  and 
deposits  an  egg  in  the  nest;  and  the  one  ornitho- 
logical wonder  is  that  the  bird  is  fool  enough  to  take 
care  of  it.  This  it  does  almost  always,  although 
evidence  of  rebellion  is  not  wanting.  How  the 
habit  ever  came  about  is  a  mystery,  and  why  the 
red-eyes  should  be  so  patient  about  it  is  more  of  a 
one.  When  they  have  young  birds  they  are  careful 
to  look  after  them  and  defend  them  when  danger 
threatens.  Perhaps  the  recent  influx  of  red-eyes  to 
our  towns  is  to  escape  the  cow-birds,  for  the  latter 
do  not  appear  to  follow. 

Very  different  is  the  White-eyed  Vireo.  The  name 
indicates  one  of  these  differences,  and  this  bird  has 
two  white  bands  across  the  wing,  which  are  wanting 
in  the  preceding  species.  It  is  a  bird,  too,  of  the 
shrubbery,  of  tangled  nooks  in  the  country;  a  bird 
we  must  look  for,  not  a  town- dweller  that  invites  us 
to  inspect  it.  It  comes  in  spring,  about  the  same 
time,  and  makes  the  neighborhood  lively  at  once. 
Probably  there  is  no  more  energetic  singer.  There 
is  not  a  muscle  of  its  body  not  in  motion,  nor  a 
feather  that  is  not  a-tremble  when  it  fairly  shouts, 
"  Take  it  up  easy,  easy"  let  us  hope  referring  to  life's 
burden  that  it  prophetically  sees  before  it.  Of  course 
this  is  not  its  only  song,  but  one  of  many  that  have 
a  general  resemblance  to  each  other ;  in  other  words, 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  71 

are  characteristic  of  the  creature  that  utters  them. 
It  has  all  the  vireonine  energy  and  a  dash  of  origi- 
nality that  make  it  a  delightful  companion.  It  has 
often  been  my  fate  to  linger  long  in  solitary  places 
performing  many  a  piece  of  distasteful  drudgery,  but 
I  invariably  took  heart  when  I  heard  the  white-eye, 
and  held  it  a  piece  of  good  fortune,  after  all,  that  my 
daily  toil  took  me  to  the  haunts  of  so  inspiriting  a 
bird.  Writes  Wilson, — 

"  This  bird  builds  a  very  neat  little  nest,  often  in  the  figure  of  an 
inverted  cone ;  it  is  suspended  by  the  upper  edge  of  the  two  sides, 
on  the  circular  bend  of  a  prickly  vine,  a  species  of  smilax  that  gen- 
erally grows  in  low  thickets.  Outwardly  it  is  constructed  of  various 
light  materials,  bits  of  rotten  wood,  fibres  of  dry  stalks,  of  weeds, 
pieces  of  paper,  commonly  newspapers,  an  article  almost  always 
found  about  its  nest,  so  that  some  of  my  friends  have  given  it  the 
name  of  the  Politician  ;  all  these  substances  are  interwoven  with  the 
silk  of  caterpillars,  and  the  inside  is  lined  with  fine  dry  grass  and 
hair.  The  female  lays  five  eggs,  pure  white,  marked  near  the  great 
end  with  a  very  few  small  dots  of  deep  black  or  purple.  They  gen- 
erally raise  two  broods  in  a  season.  They  seem  particularly  attached 
to  thickets  of  this  species  of  smilax,  and  make  a  great  ado  when  any 
one  comes  near  their  nest ;  approaching  within  a  few  feet,  looking 
down,  and  scolding  with  great  vehemence.  In  Pennsylvania  they 
are  a  numerous  species." 

Add  to  this  the  following  by  Dr.  Coues,  and  you 
have  a  very  complete  story : 

"  The  White-eyed  Vireo  has  always  been  notable,  even  in  groups 
of  birds  whose  spirit  is  high,  for  its  irritable  temperament ;  and,  dur- 
ing the  breeding  season,  nothing  can  surpass  the  petulance  and  irasci- 
bility which  it  displays  when  its  home  is  too  nearly  approached,  and 
the  fuss  it  makes  when  its  temper  is  ruffled  in  this  way.  It  skips 
about  in  a  panicky  state,  as  regardless  of  exposure  as  a  virago  ha- 
ranguing the  crowd  on  a  street  corner,  seemingly  at  such  loss  for 
adequate  expletives  that  we  may  fancy  it  quite  ready  to  say, '  Thank 
you,'  if  somebody  would  only  swear  a  little." 


72  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

Some  years  ago  I  suggested  that  the  wrens  had  a 
limited  profane  vocabulary  of  their  own,  reaching  this 
conclusion  after  watching  a  Carolina  undergo  some 
mishaps.  This  may  all  be  a  wild  fancy,  but  there  are 
very  few  birds  but  have  expressions  of  anger,  utter- 
ances indicative  of  disgust  and  allied  emotions,  and 
all  this  is  but  one  remove  from  poor  weak  humanity. 

The  Warbling  Vireo  brings  us  back  to  town,  but  it 
must  not  be  supposed  that  this  bird  has  no  other  home 
than  in  the  trees  of  our  village  streets.  You  can  find 
them  along  many  a  country  road  that  has,  as  it  should 
have,  a  fair  complement  of  way-side  trees.  You  can 
find  them,  too,  in  the  yards  of  our  farm-houses,  and 
certainly  wherever  there  is  a  fine  old  buttonwood, 
planted  in  the  days  of  our  great-great-grandfathers. 
About  such  a  tree  the  warbling  vireo  can  spend  its 
whole  seven  months'  sojourn  and  have  no  occasion 
to  leave  it  There  is,  not  far  from  Philadelphia,  a 
buttonwood  so  large — thirteen  feet  in  diameter — that 
a  pair  of  these  birds  would  require  all  summer  to  go 
over  every  twig,  and  two  pairs  might  be  living  in  its 
branches  and  not  necessarily  meet 

The  warbling  vireo  comes  to  us  in  early  spring 
without  any  flourish  of  trumpets.  It  has  been  before, 
and  knows  every  nook  and  corner  of  our  leafy  ways. 
There  is  not  a  branch  of  any  village  maple,  no  droop- 
ing limb  of  any  church-yard  elm,  no  clustered  trees 
upon  the  common,  or  stately  rows  of  pines  about  our 
houses,  but  the  warbler  knows  full  well ;  and  at  home 
the  moment  he  reaches  us,  he  goes  forthwith  upon 
his  musical  rounds,  and,  gentle  as  a  spirit  though  he 
seems,  dealing  death  to  the  insect  hordes  that  Nature 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  73 

has  here,  too,  given  a  home.  But  we  cannot  think 
of  this  little  bird  as  other  than  all  innocence.  We 
are  interested  in  the  murderer  and  not  the  murdered, 
and  that  makes  all  the  difference  in  the  world.  "  How 
shall  I  describe  its  song?"  I  asked  of  a  veteran  student 
of  our  native  birds.  "  Say  it  is  like  a  distant  flute," 
he  replied,  "  that  because  of  the  wind  we  hear  at 
brief  intervals."  As  I  listened  to  the  bird,  nearly  one 
hundred  feet  above  the  ground,  I  knew  what  he  meant, 
but  do  not  expect  these  mere  words  will  enable  you 
to  recognize  it.  It  is  not  interrupted  and  out  of  tune 
like  the  red-eye's  song,  and  if  you  hear  both  in  the 
village  street  or  on  the  town's  outskirts,  you  will 
recognize  them  then,  the  one  as  troubled  water  flowing 
over  rocks,  the  other  the  quiet  ripple  of  the  meadow 
brooks.  But  we  at  all  times  need  sharp  eyes  to  see 
these  little  birds.  Their  plumage  blends  admirably 
with  the  leaves  that  all  summer  long  conceal  these 
rangers  of  the  tree-tops ;  and  so  stealthy  and  ser- 
pent-like is  their  movement,  rapid  though  it  be,  that 
sharp  eyes  are  needed  to  distinguish  the  bird  from 
that  perpetual  game  of  hide-and-seek  the  lights  and 
shadows  play,  and  all  the  while  the  rippling  flow  of 
music  goes  on,  a  song  that  greets  the  gray  dawn  in 
the  east  and  bids  a  fitting  farewell  to  the  dying  day. 
It  is  never  pleasant  to  pass  abruptly,  or  to  pass  at 
all,  from  the  contemplation  of  innocence  to  that  of 
crime ;  but,  as  I  have  intimated,  there  is  nothing 
much  but  red-handed  murder  characteristic  of  insect- 
eating  birds'  daily  lives.  They  cover  it  over  with 
music  and  a  sweet  smile  for  us,  but  this  does  not 
alter  the  facts  one  iota.  These  vireos  are  closely 
D  7 


74  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

akin  to  the  shrikes,  birds  of  a  harsh  name,  or 
butcher-birds,  which  is  full  of  bloody  meaning ;  and 
certainly  the  birds  have  nothing  to  commend  them. 
They  are  not  pretty,  they  are  not  sociable,  they  have 
no  song-power  worthy  of  attention,  and  they  do  go 
about  seeking  whom,  among  weaker  animals,  they 
may  devour. 

Dr.  Coues  says  of  the  two  species  found  in  the 
United  States, — 

"  Matching  the  bravest  of  the  brave  among  birds  of  prey  in  deeds 
of  daring,  and  no  less  relentless  than  reckless,  the  shrike  com- 
pels that  sort  of  deference,  not  unmixed  with  indignation,  we  are 
accustomed  to  accord  to  creatures  of  seeming  insignificance,  whose 
exploits  demand  much  strength,  great  spirit,  and  insatiate  love  of 
carnage.  We  cannot  be  indifferent  to  the  marauder  who  takes  his 
own  wherever  he  finds  it, — a  feudal  baron,  who  holds  his  own  with 
undisputed  sway, — an  ogre  whose  victims  are  so  many  more  than 
he  can  eat  that  he  actually  keeps  a  private  graveyard  for  the 
balance." 

There  are  two  of  these  shrikes :  the  "  Loggerhead" 
comes  in  April  to  the  Middle  States,  and  northward, 

and  remains  all 
summer,  al- 
though not 
equally  distrib- 
uted ;  and  in 
November  the 
Great  Northern 
Shrike  comes 

Shrike.  down  and  stays 

until     April,    so 

we  are  never  without  one  or  the  other  of  them.  Did 
they  not  kill  small  birds  we  would  have  no  com- 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  75 

plaint  against  them,  and  as  it  is,  this  is  quite  unrea- 
sonable, for  small  birds  will  kill  each  other  rather 
than  be  incommoded,  and  a  state  of  perpetual  war- 
fare is  only  avoided  because  of  lack  of  weapons  and 
strength. 

The  ordinary  utterances  of  the  shrike  are  harsh 
and  thoroughly  disagreeable,  fitting  with  the  general 
character  of  the  bird,  but  it  has  one  faculty  that 
shows  the  bird  has  a  pretty  high  degree  of  intelli- 
gence, that  of  imitating  the  cries  of  birds  in  distress, 
and  when,  responsive  to  this,  a  number  are  gathered 
together,  to  choose  a  victim.  This  is  a  degree  of 
cunning  that  always  excites  my  admiration. 

Sandwiched  between  the  shrikes  and  the  cedar- 
bird — and  what  a  difference  there  is  between  them !  — 
is  a  far  southwestern  and  Mexican  bird  to  which  Dr. 
Coues  has  given  the  name  of  Crested  Shining  Black 
White-winged  Flysnapper.  I  saw  this  bird  in  July, 
1890,  near  Bisbee,  Arizona,  and  the  brief  glances 
that  I  had  made  me  think  of  the  bird  as  one  that 
would  be  a  great  addition  to  any  avifauna.  It  sang 
with  much  effect,  caught  flies  with  admirable  grace, 
and  looked  so  princely  in  its  shining  suit  that  I  could 
but  wonder  that  it  should  be  content  to  have  wan- 
dered into  such  a  heaven-forsaken  region.  It  is  said 
they  feed  "almost  exclusively"  on  the  mistletoe. 
Well,  the  mistletoe  was  extraordinarily  abundant, 
and  did  the  flysnapper  only  make  believe  to  launch 
out  after  insects  ? 

Probably  there  is  no  more  marked  bird  in  the 
United  States  than  the  well-known  Waxwing,  or,  as 
it  is  more  generally  known,  the  Cedar-bird.  His 


76  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

cousin,  the  Bohemian  Chatterer,  is  sometimes  here, 
but  is  too  rare  a  bird  to  be  considered.  Not  so  the 
smaller  species.  I  have  often  seen 
flocks  of  at  least  a  hundred,  and 
several  such  flocks  in  one  day.  They 
are  birds  of  all  the  year  round, 
yet  there  is  an  element  of  un- 
certainty in  their  move- 
ments. They  are  de- 
liberate, and  this 
impresses  you  at 

Cedar-bird.  ^R?    once  when  you  see 

the  flock  leave  one 
halting-place  and  seek  another.  They  never  hurry, 
and  when  they  alight,  the  position  in  the  tree  of  each 
one  is  the  concern  of  all,  and  it  is  some  moments 
before  they  get  settled  to  their  satisfaction.  There 
must  be  no  crowding,  no  ruffling  of  the  plumage. 
They  live  forever  in  a  prescribed  suit,  and  never 
permit  a  particle  of  dust  to  rest  upon  it.  Being 
both  vegetarian  and  carnivorous,  we  look  for  some 
slight  variation  in  their  habits  when  they  change 
from  cherries  and  cedar-berries  to  gnats  and  cater-, 
pillars  ;  but  there  is  none.  They  are  as  neat  in  man- 
aging a  squirming  worm  as  a  juicy  berry,  and  never 
need  a  napkin. 

Late  in  the  summer  a  number  of  pairs  agree  upon 
some  orchard  or  clump  of  wild  crab-trees,  and  there 
build  a  "  somewhat  flat  and  rather  bulky  nest,  com- 
posed of  small  twigs,  roots,  grasses,  bits  of  string, 
feathers,  or  other  soft  materials."  The  nesting  duties 
over,  the  young  and  old  return  to  their  lazy  ways, 


BANK  SWALLOWS   AND   NESTS. 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  77 

for  of  all  our  birds,  there  is  no  other  that  takes  life 
so  easily. 

Of  seven  species  of  swallows,  six  are  found  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  continent,  and  only  one  of  these, 
the  Rough-winged,  is  not  very  common  and  equally 
widely  spread  over  the  country.  The  Violet-green 
Swallow  is  a  Pacific  coast  form.  It  would  be  a  diffi- 
cult matter  to  say  of  the  Martin,  Cliff,  Barn,  White- 
bellied  and  Bank  Swallows  which  is  the  best  known. 
The  last  two  as  they  dash  through  the  air  are  one  to 
most  people,  but  no  one  ever  mistakes  the  martin  or 
the  slender  fork-tailed  barn-swallow.  It  is  not  every- 
where that  the  cliff-swallow  is  content  to  build  his 
curious  nests,  which  look  so  like  squatty  bottles  with 
mere  apologies  of  necks. 

Hitherto,  we  have  been  considering  the  birds  of 
trees,  of  bushes,  or  of  the  ground,  but  now  it  is  liter- 
ally the  birds  of  the  air.  A  swallow  loses  its  identity 
when  it  rests  ;  even  the  long  rows  that  we  see  perched 
upon  the  telegraph-wires,  although  an  airy  perch,  are 
out  of  place.  Their  long  slender  bodies  and  pro- 
jecting wings  lose  all  their  grace  when  the  bird  is  at 
rest.  The  short  legs  fail  to  easily  support  the  body, 
and  we  see  helplessness  written  over  them  until  they 
launch  again  into  the  air,  when  every  forward  flight, 
graceful  curve,  quick  turn,  and  downward  plunge 
alike  exhibit,  as  we  can  see  nowhere  else,  the  poetry 
of  motion.  They  twitter  as  they  go,  a  gladsome, 
ringing  twitter,  bespeaking  a  merry  heart ;  and  this 
attempt  at  song  has  become  so  inwoven  with  our 
summer  days  that  its  loss  would  now  be  more  keenly 
felt  than  the  happiest  efforts  of  a  thrush  or  the  more 
7* 


78  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

marvellously  sweet  rose-breasted  grosbeak.  A  sum- 
mer without  swallows  would  be  a  summer  with  sum- 
mer left  out.  I  cannot  conceive  it. 

A  bird  so  common,  so  fearless,  so  completely  at 
home  in  our  largest  towns,  and  ready  in  some  in- 
stances to  take  advantage  of  the  facilities  afforded 
by  man  to  nest  securely,  has  necessarily  resulted  in 
the  bird  entering  more  than  any  other  into  our  folk- 
lore, and  as  the  years  have  rolled  on  strange  tales 
have  been  told  about  them.  So  ready  of  wing  are 
they  that  distance  means  nothing ;  but  before  this 
was  realized,  strange  stories  of  their  hibernating  in 
the  mud  were  abroad  and  very  generally  believed. 
That  people  should  have  thought  this  possible  a 
thousand  years  ago  is  strange  enough,  but  that  in 
these  latter  days  it  should  be  reasserted  as  not  im- 
possible is  one  of  the  remarkable  features  of  modern 
ornithological  literature.  Swallows  migrate,  not  hi- 
bernate, and  that  is  the  whole  story.  Dependent 
upon  insects  for  food, — they  eat  berries  along  the 
sea-shore  when  migrating,  it  is  said, — and  forced  to 
capture  them  in  the  air  and  swallow  them  at  the  same 
instant, — hence  the  common  name  ? — these  birds  can 
only  stay  while  insects  last,  and  so  migrate  with  some- 
thing more  of  regularity  than  birds  that  can,  if  they 
choose,  creep  up  our  coast  and  follow  a  river  valley 
in  short  and  easy  stages. 

Wherever  he  comes  nowadays  these  birds  do  not 
find  accommodation.  The  imported  sparrows  have 
changed  all  that ;  and  where  we  once  had  music, 
grace,  and  direct  benefits  conferred,  we  now  have 
wrangling,  obscenity,  and  injuries  inflicted.  The  town 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  79 

sparrows  and  modern  municipal  politicians  are  much 
alike,  and  the  world  will  be  bettered  when  both  are 
exterminated.  Experiment  has  shown,  however,  that 
we  can  have  martins,  if  we  will,  in  spite  of  the  spar- 
rows. This  means  no  greater  labor  than  to  close  the 
boxes  erected  for  them  while  the  birds  are  gone. 
When  they  come  and  are  given  possession,  they  can 
hold  their  own  against  the  pothouse  politicians  or 
sparrows.  I  know  of  instances  where  this  has  been 
tried,  and  with  complete  success.  I  know  of  nothing 
more  summery,  more  complete  in  the  way  of  birds 
and  their  music,  than  to  listen  to  their  few  notes, 
which  being  so  frequently  uttered,  and  by  so  many 
individuals,  is  rather  the  slightly  interrupted  flow 
of  sweet  sounds,  the  momentary  dying  away  of  the 
aeolian  harp  when  the  wind  ceases  for  the  instant. 

The  species  known  as  the  Eave,  Cliff,  or  Crescent 
Swallow  is  of  somewhat  irregular  distribution,  judg- 
ing from  what  we  read,  but  probably  there  is  no  bird 
that  was  earlier  impressed  upon  my  attention.  As  long 
ago  as  1848  there  was  a  colony  of  them  in  sight  of 
my  home,  and  from  1850  to  1862  they  occupied  the 
eaves  of  a  barn  that  was  within  the  range  of  my  earli- 
est rambles.  My  neighbors  all  knew  them  as  "  Rocky 
Mountain  Swallows,"  saying  they  had  but  recently 
arrived,  but  in  an  old  manuscript  there  is  a  refer- 
ence to  these  swallows  as  building  on  the  "  old" 
bridge,  which  was  removed  in  1821,  and  they  had 
been  building  there  for  several  years.  I  am  surprised 
that  Wilson  overlooked  this  colony,  not  thirty  miles 
from  Philadelphia,  and  more  than  once  he  was  in  this 
immediate  neighborhood.  The  principal  feature  that 


8o 


THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 


characterizes  this  beautiful  bird  is  the  gourd-shaped 
mud  nest  that  it  builds.  The  typical  nest  was  a  sym- 
metrical flattened  oval  with  a  "  bottle-neck"  entrance. 
I  remember  seeing  long  rows  of  these  under  the  pro- 
jecting roof  of  an  old  barn.  That  was  over  thirty  years 
ago ;  but  now  there  seems  to  be  a  tendency  to  greater 
simplicity,  and  the  last  nests  I  saw  were  largely  with- 
out this  feature.  Was  it  omitted  because  no  longer 
a  necessity  ?  It  certainly  was  not  because  of  a  scarcity 
of  building  material.  A  correspondent  of  Warren's, 
quoted  in  that  author's  "  Birds  of  Pennsylvania,"  re- 
fers to  the  entrances  of  some  nests  being  from  three 
to  five  inches  long.  On  the  other  hand,  I  have  found 
many  a  nest  that  was  merely  a  teacup  with  a  good- 
sized  notch  in  the  rim  on  one  side. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  while  the  cliff-swallow's 
colony  occupy  the  available  nesting  space  on  the 

outside,  more  than 
one  pair  of  barn- 
swallows  occupy 
the  inside,  and  pret- 
tier, more  graceful, 
and  useful  birds  do 
not  exist.  If  a  per- 
son at  all  interested 
^^-  in  such  matters  will 

^^^^  take   the    pains   to 

^^^^^Wjgagps^ 

^  watch     a     nesting 

Barn-swallow.  barn-swallow,       he 

will    find   that  the 

bird  is  most  beautifully  clothed,  and  the  feathers  have, 
as  a  whole,  a  sheen  equal  to  that  upon  the  throat  of 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  81 

a  humming-bird.  Like  all  the  others  of  its  race, 
these  birds  come  in  early  spring  and  remain  until 
some  time  in  September ;  but,  whimsical  creatures 
that  they  are,  they  have  been  known  to  debate 
the  matter  in  August,  and  deciding  affirmatively, 
leave  then.  Perhaps  this  early  move  was  not  strictly 
a  migratory  one,  for  sometimes  it  happens,  many 
days  after  the  swallows  are  gone, — that  is,  deserted 
their  nesting-places, — they,  or  others,  reappear  and 
people  the  air,  but  not  the  old-time  roosts.  These, 
I  take  it,  are  swallows  from  some  more  northern 
locality. 

As  in  all  cases  where  birds  of  a  kind  keep  to- 
gether and  live  in  so-called  colonies,  it  is  necessary 
that  some  method  shall  be  pursued  by  which  con- 
certed action  without  confusion  can  be  obtained,  so 
among  the  swallows  we  find  instead  of  an  acknowl- 
edged leader,  an  open  congress  without  a  chairman, 
but  where  parliamentary  rules  are  as  well  obeyed,  if 
not  better,  than,  we  will  say,  in  our  legislatures.  It 
is  one  of  the  most  interesting  of  the  annual  occur- 
rences among  our  birds  to  witness  the  congregating 
of  the  barn-swallows  of  a  neighborhood  in  August, 
and  see  them,  while  perched  in  line  on  a  telegraph-wire, 
discuss  the  pros  and  cons  of  departure.  It  is  fairly 
safe  to  assume  that  this  is  their  business  at  such  a 
time,  for  they  never  disperse,  go  home,  and  reassem- 
ble. At  least,  I  have  never  known  them  to  do  so ; 
but  then,  if  they  always  end  by  going,  why  discuss 
the  matter  for  a  whole  day?  As  it  may  be,  the 
whole  procedure  is  a  token  of  summer's  ending,  and 
though  there  may  be,  and  surely  will  be,  weeks  of 


82  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

as  warm  and  sunny  weather  when  the  swallows  go, 
somehow  the  summer  goes  with  them. 

The  common  White-bellied  Swallow  is  not  a  gre- 
garious species.  It  comes  to  the  Middle  States  early 
in  April  and  not  uncommonly  in  March,  and  keeps 
closely  to  the  watercourses.  It  builds  in  hollow 
trees,  and  is  evenly  distributed  over  the  country.  Oc- 
casionally quite  a  large  number  will  be  found  flitting 
over  the  marshes  and  flying  very  near  the  tops  of 
the  tall  grasses,  but  generally  only  two  or  three  will 
be  noticed.  Nuttall  records  that 

"  On  its  arrival,  like  many  other  species,  it  seeks  out  the  society 
of  man,  and  frequently  takes  possession  of  the  mansion  of  the  Mar- 
tin. When  these  advantages  are  unattainable,  it  will  be  content  with 
the  eaves  of  some  deserted  dwelling." 

They  seem,  in  the  valley  of  the  Delaware,  to  content 
themselves  with  hollow  trees,  and  the  nests  are  very 
scattered.  Altogether,  it  seems  to  me  to  be  a 
retiring  "  country"  swallow  that  cares  far  more  for 
Nature  than  any  of  man's  modification  of  it.  The 
twitter  of  this  swallow  is  quite  musical,  and  is  a 
pleasing  addition  to  the  sounds  of  the  lowlands, 
where  the  swamp-sparrows  and  marsh-wrens  hold 
forth  so  acceptably. 

There  is  no  school-boy  who  lives  in  the  country, 
and  no  observing  man  in  or  out  of  town,  but  has 
seen  some  time  in  his  life  a  colony  of  bank- swallows. 
Those  who  have  not  should  hunt  them  up  the  first 
opportunity.  A  clay-  or  earth-bank  with  three  hun- 
dred holes,  and  each  the  home  of  a  pair  of  old  birds, 
is  one  of  the  few  fine  showings  of  our  ornithology, 
for  the  days  of  bird  exhibits  on  a  grand  scale  are 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  83 

almost  over.  My  grandfather  has  often  told  me  of 
the  day  being  darkened  by  wild  pigeons,  and  of 
ponds  "  black"  with  wild  ducks,  of  the  air  "  filled" 
with  geese,  and  such  strange  tales  even  as  an  orchard 
red  with  tanagers.  The  only  approach  to  all  this  is 
an  occasional  flock  of  perhaps  one  thousand  black- 
birds, and  even  a  "  cloud"  of  them  of  ten  times  that 
many  birds.  But  man's  interference  has  not  yet 
extended  to  the  swallows,  and  they  make  when 
opportunity  affords  a  fine  showing.  Indeed,  were  it 
not  for  this  feature  of  close  association  they  would 
make  no  showing  at  all,  for  a  single  swallow  is  a 
most  insignificant  affair. 

Great  flights  of  swallows  have  been  noticed  in  the 
valley  of  the  Delaware  even  in  November,  after  a 
long  interval  with  no  swallows  in  the  air.  At  such 
a  time  they  are  all  beating  directly  southward,  and 
have  a  steady,  direct  flight  unlike  their  summer-day 
progress  when  chasing  insects  as  erratic  in  movement 
as  they  themselves  are.  Are  such  belated  swallows 
likely  to  have  been  driven  in-shore  by  contrary  winds 
caught  while  wending  their  way  over  the  ocean  ? 

The  Rough-winged  Swallow  is  readily  recog- 
nized by  its  dull-gray  throat  and  the  absence  of  the 
dark  breast-band  that  characterizes  the  bank-swallow. 
The  habits  of  the  two  are  quite  the  same,  except  that 
the  rough-wing  is  sometimes  too  lazy  to  build  a  nest 
in  a  bank,  but  will  put  up  with  some  nook  in  an 
old  wall,  or  covered  corner  in  a  bridge,  or  natural 
crevice  in  a  rock.  Those  that  I  have  seen,  however, 
were  associated  with  the  foregoing  and  had  nests  pre- 
cisely like  them.  The  two  were  so  intimately  asso- 


84  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

dated  that  it  took  excellent  eyesight  to  determine 
which  was  which,  as  they  darted  about  in  the  open 
space  that  extended  from  their  nests  to  the  opposite 
shore  of  the  wide  expanse  of  water. 

In  the  Tanagers,  which  have,  so  far  as  habits  go, 
absolutely  nothing  in  common  with  swallows,  we 
have  a  small  family  or  group — so  far  as  the  United 
States  is  concerned — of  gaudily-colored  birds  of 
moderate  size.  The  true  home  of  these  birds  is  in 
Central  and  South  America,  and  the  few  that  we 
have  within  our  limits  are  by  no  means  the  best  ex- 
amples, if  guided  by  mere  brilliancy  of  color.  One, 
the  Blue-headed  Euphonia,  is  but  a  visitor  to  South- 
ern Texas,  if  that,  but  there  is  no  question  about  the 
others.  The  Hepatic  Tanager  of  Arizona  and  New 
Mexico  is  scarcely  known  except  to  the  professional 
ornithologist,  but  the  Scarlet  Tanager  and  Summer 
Red-bird  are  known  to  most  people;  the  former  mi- 
grating into  New  England,  the  latter  seldom  vent- 
uring beyond  Southern  Pennsylania.  In  the  extreme 
Western  States,  going  north  into  British  Columbia,  is 
the  Louisiana  Tanager.  This  is  a  beautiful  black, 
yellow,  and  red  bird ;  but  the  Eastern  ones  are  no  less 
gayly  colored ;  the  summer  red-bird  being  of  a  uni- 
form red;  the  tanager, scarlet,  with  black  wings  and  tail. 
Forty  years  ago  the  summer  red-bird  was  a  regular 
visitor  to  Central  New  Jersey,  coming  in  May  and  re- 
maining until  October.  They  were  birds  of  the  orchard, 
and  as  such  I  well  remember  them.  Wilson  speaks 
of  them  in  a  rather  cold,  unenthusiastic  way,  as  if  the 
journey  into  Jersey  from  Philadelphia  was  too  much 
trouble,  even  if  sight  of  the  red-birds  did  reward  it : 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  85 

"  In  Pennsylvania  they  are  a  rare  species,  having  myself  some- 
times passed  a  whole  summer  without  seeing  one  of  them ;  while  in 
New  Jersey,  even  within  half  a  mile  of  the  shore  opposite  the  city 
of  Philadelphia,  they  may  generally  be  found  during  the  season. 

"  Its  manners,  though  neither  its  bill  nor  tongue,  partake  very  much 
of  those  of  the  Flycatcher ;  for  I  have  frequently  observed  both  male 
and  female,  a  little  before  sunset,  in  parts  of  the  forest  clear  of  under- 
wood, darting  after  winged  insects,  and  continuing  thus  engaged  till 
it  was  almost  dusk." 


Scarlet  Tanager. 

I  do  not  know  how  abundant  the  summer  red-bird 
may  be  in  the  Southern  States,  but  as  a  bird  of  New 
Jersey  we  have  now  to  speak  of  it  in  the  past  tense 
rather  than  the  present.  It  was  a  bird  of  our  orchards 
forty  years  ago,  but  is  such  no  longer.  The  few  that 
wander  this  far  north  now  constitute  no  distinct  feature 
of  the  blossoming  orchard.  It  is  said — which  goes 
for  very  little — that  the  scarlet  tanager  has  slowly 
taken  its  place.  If  so,  it  is  a  poor  exchange.  The 
good  old-fashioned  summer  red-bird  was  a  songster 
of  that  emphatic  kind  which  appeals  to  young  people. 
He  whistled  with  a  vim.  I  fancy  I  can  hear  them 
still,  when  of  a  bright  May  morning  their  shrill  voices 
sounded  w^-WET-WET,  clear  as  a  fife,  and  the  house- 
dog would  look  as  if  some  one  were  calling  him,  and 


86  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

my  grandfather  would  remark,  "  The  red-bird  says 
'  wet,'  so  it's  going  to  rain."  Of  course  it  did  not 
rain  that  day ;  it  never  does  when  the  May  day  is  as 
bright  as  those  that  made  the  world  beautiful  when 
I  was  a  boy.  Then  the  orchard  in  full  bloom  and 
every  blossom  blushing  as  a  rose!  Have  the  flowers 
faded  within  forty  years  ?  Why  have  the  new  orchards 
such  a  pallid  face?  The  world  is  forever  moving 
forward ;  we  are  now  in  the  electric  age  and  steam  is 
slow.  A  vast  improvement,  it  is  said,  but  I  would 
that  our  young  orchards  were  old  and  every  tree  had 
its  red-bird. 

I  did  not  and  do  not  purpose  speaking  slightingly 
of  scarlet  tanagers,  but  it  must  be  confessed  that  if 
you  took  away  a  few  red  feathers  there  would  be 
absolutely  nothing  left.  As  a  song-bird  you  cannot 
name  a  more  melancholy  failure ;  and  as  they  do  not 
show  themselves  more  than  is  necessary,  and  are 
sluggish  creatures  at  best,  why  not  set  up  bits  of  red 
flannel  in  the  trees  and  call  them  red-birds  ? 

As  an  insect-hunter  the  scarlet  tanager  is  a  grand 
success,  and  for  this  alone  he  merits  endless  praise. 
Here  are  three  lines  from  a  recent  newspaper  which 
mean  a  vast  deal : 

"  In  Burlington  grub- worms  and  mice  did  some  harm,  more  so 
than  during  the  past  twenty-five  years." 

Not  long  ago  I  passed,  early  in  May,  a  ploughed 
field  and  noticed  on  the  brown  earth  here  and  there 
a  bright-red  dot.  Stopping  by  a  little  cedar  that 
concealed  me  from  their  view,  I  saw  at  second  glance 
that  the  red  dots  were  tanagers,  and  with  my  field- 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  87 

glass  to  aid  me  counted  sixty-three,  and  every  one  I 
think  was  busy  grub-hunting.  These  birds  were  mi- 
grating northward,  but  had  stopped  here  to  feed,  and 
the  man  who  owned  that  field  was  highly  favored ; 
and  yet  I  venture  to  say  that  if  any  loafer  had  hap- 
pened along  with  a  gun  and  killed  a  dozen  or  more 
of  these  birds,  the  owner  of  the  field  would  not  have 
entered  a  protest.  It  is  this  culpable  indifference  on 
the  part  of  so  many  farmers,  and  a  fancy  that  the 
birds  take  too  much  fruit,  that  causes  them  to  cry 
out  in  despair  that  the  grubs  are  too  much  for  them 
and  farming  doesn't  pay,  and  all  that  twaddle.  Per 
contra,  I  knew  a  bird-loving  farmer  who  persistently 
took  the  law  in  his  own  hands  and  personally  arrested 
every  bird-shooter,  and  thrashed  them  in  advance  of 
arrest,  and  the  result  was  his  door-yard  even  was  full 
of  singing-birds,  and  people  came  from  the  town  to 
hear  and  see  them.  This  has  been  preached  by  others 
since  the  beginning  of  the  century  and  has  done  but 
little  good ;  but  I,  for  one,  shall  keep  on  preaching. 
"  But  we  have  plenty  birds,"  says  one,  "  in  spite  of 
the  gunners."  Very  true,  but  not  as  many  as  we  did 
have,  nor  as  many  as  we  might  have ;  and  the  grub- 
worms  we  have  more  than  ever  in  spite  of  Paris- 
green  and  London-purple.  What  we  want  now  to 
know  about  birds  does  not  call  for  the  shot-gun. 
Our  museums  are  overstocked  and  the  amateur  col- 
lector is  a  nuisance. 


THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 


CHAPTER    III. 
THE  PERCHING  BIRDS. — (Continued?) 

SOME  one  somewhere  has  referred  to  our  country 
as  one  much  be-sparrowed.  If  this  remark 
referred  to  the  nuisance  of  our  city  streets,  it  might 
well  be  said  to  be  overmuch  be-sparrowed ;  but  as 
a  class,  and  placed  where  Nature  purposed  them  to 
be, — the  sparrows,  buntings,  finches,  and  grosbeaks 
that  go  to  make  up  the  group  known  as  Fringillidce, 
— these  birds  are  a  delight,  and  being  harmless — but 
all  birds  really  are — and  many  of  them  excellent 
musicians,  their  places  would  be  sadly  missed  did 
they  forsake  our  fields  and  meadows,  our  gardens 
and  door-yards,  our  woodlands  and  the  sandy  shores 
of  the  resounding  sea.  Sparrows  of  one  or  more 
species  everywhere  abound,  and  the  sun  shines  more 
brightly,  the  flowers  are  fairer,  the  grass  greener,  the 
very  air  balmier,  because  of  their  presence.  Nor 
are  they  fair-weather  friends  only.  There  is  no  mid- 
winter day  too  arctic  for  a  slate-colored  snow-bird, 
or  possibly,  even  as  far  south  as  the  Middle  States, 
a  snow-flake  or  a  long-spur ;  and  whatever  weather 
rages  in  circumpolar  lands  there  are  sparrows  near 
at  hand ;  and  in  summer  at  noontide,  when  the  heat 
threatens  to  scorch  the  whole  living  world,  I  have 
heard  the  indigo-finch  singing  by  the  hour,  and  not 
seeking  the  shade  of  even  a  single  leaf.  We  are  to 


2,  PINE  GROSBEAKS.        3,   4,  CROSS-BILLS. 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  89 

be  thankful  that  we  are  blessed  with  so  many  spar- 
rows of  so  many  kinds. 

Ridgway's  Manual  calls  for  ninety-two  species, 
and,  of  course,  of  varieties  and  geographical  races 
there  is  a  goodly  number.  '  Of  these,  a  very  large 
proportion  are  Eastern  species,  and  their  Western 
representatives  do  not  materially  vary  in  the  mat- 
ter of  habits.  Of  course  difference  of  environment 
causes  some  variation  in  habits,  and  different  areas 
that  are  much  alike  to  our  eyes  have  some  subtle 
peculiarities  that  affect  the  voices  of  the  birds.  More 
than  one  bird  that  is  common  to  New  England  and 
the  Middle  States  does  not  sing  in  the  same  way  in 
the  two  localities.  Again,  I  have  heard  song-spar- 
rows, thrushes,  and  the  rose-breasted  grosbeak  sing- 
ing in  almost  a  monotonous  way  at  the  sea-shore, 
when  their  songs  were  clear  and  far-reaching  not 
fifty  miles  away,  but  at  a  considerable  elevation,  and 
this  difference  of  atmosphere  may  be  an  all-impor- 
tant matter. 

The  leader  of  the  sparrow  host  is  the  Evening 
Grosbeak,  which  has  its  home  in  the  far  northwest, 
where  in  comparative  solitude  the  males  warble  in  a 
manner  suggestive  of  the  beginning  of  a  robin's 
song,  which  is  saying  but  little  in  way  of  praise,  the 
entire  song  of  the  robin  not  being  remarkable  as  a 
whole,  and  the  beginning  really  the  poorer  end  of  it. 

Occasionally  this  far-off  bird  wanders  eastward,  as 
in  the  winter  of  1889-90,  when  numbers  entered  the 
New  England  States,  and  presumably  were  all  killed 
to  prevent  the  possibility  of  their  return  or  of  their 
remaining  as  residents.  They  were  in  Pennsylvania, 


9O  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

too,  at  this  time,  and  a  good  many  were  killed,  of 
course. 

The  Pine  Grosbeak,  a  dull-red  bird  with  white 
wing-bands,  is  another  winter  visitor,  and  the  weather 
has  to  be  very  snowy  to  bring  him  down  very  far 
from  his  native  haunts.  The  few  records  I  have  of 
this  bird  are  all  connected  with  phenomenal  snow- 
falls and  not  of  the  ordinary  steady  cold  weather. 
This  reminds  me  that  the  reading-matter  in  our 
many  bird  books  is  rather  confusing.  The  general 
ornithologies  say  the  pine  grosbeak  is  very  rare,  of 
"  accidental  occurrence,"  and  so  on ;  but  in  the  bird- 
full  winder  of  1889-90,  Dr.  Warren  records,  in  his 
"  Birds  of  Pennsylvania,"  receiving  forty  specimens, 
and  refers  to  the  bird  simply  as  "  irregular."  Con- 
sidering the  hot  reception  they  receive,  even  with  the 
temperature  at  zero,  it  is  not  strange  that  they  are 
irregular.  The  wonder  is  that  they  do  not  learn 
enough  to  keep  altogether  away. 

Writing  of  this  grosbeak,  as  seen  in  the  mountains 
of  Colorado,  T.  M.  Trippe  informs  Dr.  Coues  that 

"  It  is  very  tame,  frequently  alighting  and  feeding  within  a  few 
feet  of  one  with  the  greatest  composure.  Its  food  seems  to  consist 
principally  of  pine-seeds,  but  it  is  also  fond  of  those  of  the  birch 
and  alder,  and  occasionally  descends  to  the  ground,  where  it  picks 
up  the  seeds  of  various  plants  and  probably  a  few  insects.  During 
late  summer  and  winter  it  has  a  very  pleasing  song, — clear,  sweet, 
and  flowing  like  that  of  the  purple  finch." 

In  the  Purple  Finch  we  have  a  delightful  New 
England  bird  that  comes  into  the  Middle  States  and 
southward  every  autumn,  and  while  here  is  provok- 
ingly  silent,  except  that  certain  localities  in  Penn- 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  91 

sylvania  seem  to  be  favored  with  this  bird  as  a  resi- 
dent 

Nuttall,  writing  in  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  says 
of  this  bird, — 

"  Their  notes  are  very  similar  to  those  of  the  Warbling  Vireo,  but 
louder  and  more  diversified." 

As  I  have  heard  them,  singly,  in  late  autumn  and 
even  in  winter,  their  singing  was  as  above  described, 
but  not  so  loud  as  the  vireo's  song.  They  always 
appeared  to  me  to  be  humming  to  themselves. 

There  are  many  varieties  of  the  purple  finch  scat- 
tered over  the  West  and  on  the  Pacific  coast.  One 
of  these,  called  the  "  Burion,"  is  in  some  localities  as 
semi-domesticated  as  the  alien  sparrow.  Dr.  Coues 
remarks, — 

"  It  is  a  pleasing  feature  in  the  dirty  Mexican  settlements,  which, 
with  questionable  taste,  it  selects  as  its  abode,  and  where  the  air  is 
vocal  all  the  day  long  with  its  delightful  melody." 

The  Cross-bills,  in  the  Middle  States,  are  occasional 
visitors  in  winter  and  residents  of  the  far  north  at  all 
times.  They  are  red  birds,  without  being  particu- 
larly bright,  and  differ  in  that  one  has  narrow  white 
wing-bands.  Their  habits  generally  are  the  same,  and 
in  their  south-bound  migrations  they  are  associated ; 
but  the  white-winged  species  is  less  abundant.  The 
common  name  at  once  describes  the  bird's  most 
striking  feature,  and  is  the  explanation  of  certain 
habits  that  are  so  very  like  the  parrot's.  They  are 
altogether  boreal  birds,  and  maintain  their  reputation 
as  lovers  of  the  northern  regions  by  nesting  in  winter 
and  migrating  northward  as  soon  as  the  young  can  fly. 


92  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

They  are  found  (the  Common  Cross-bill)  in  Penn- 
sylvania all  the  year  round,  but  only  in  a  mountainous 
region.  Occasionally  a  large  flock  will  appear  in  the 
valley  of  the  Delaware  in  the  winter  and  scatter 
among  the  evergreens  in  the  villages;  but  as  soon 
as  seen  the  village  paper  reports  them,  and  that  means 
waging  a  war  of  extermination. 

The  true  Linnets,  or  Redpolls,  are  other  arctic  birds 
that  occasionally  come  well  southward  if  there  is  a 
severe  winter,  and  it  has  been  that  this  even  was  not 
essential  to  bring  them.  It  is  said  to  be  a  pretty  com- 
mon and  regular  winter  visitor  to  Northern  Pennsyl- 
vania. Probably  much  depends  upon  the  character 
of  the  woodland  tracts.  I  believe  when  our  upper 
Delaware  Valley  had  its  original  pine  and  hemlock 
forest  that  a  great  many  of  these  "  irregular"  and  rare 
birds  were  common,  and  a  constant  feature  of  the  win- 
ter or  summer  as  the  case  might  be.  So  far  as  the  red- 
polls are  concerned,  I  have  seen  flocks  of  from  fifty  to 
a  hundred  suddenly  come  upon  the  scene,  and  then  after 
a  brief  stay  mount  upward  and  make  off,  not  to  be  seen 
again  perhaps  all  that  winter.  If  it  is  correct  that  they 
are  regular  visitors  to  Pennsylvania,  it  is  not  strange 
that  occasionally  a  flock  should  wander  to  the  Dela- 
ware Valley,  not  more  than  one  hundred  miles  away. 

At  last  we  come  to  a  common  and  common-sensed 
bird  that  not  only  lives  where  the  bulk  of  humanity 
does,  but  stays  about  all  the  year  round.  If  you 
have  the  courage  to  go  into  a  snow-clad  field,  where 
a  few  seed-bearing  bushes  and  rank  grasses  project 
beyond  the  glittering  plain,  it  is  not  improbable  that 
you  will  see  a  few  dusty  yellow  and  blackish  birds 


2,   SNOW-BUNTINGS.        3,   4,   HORNED   LARKS. 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  93 

swaying  on  the  slenderest  stems  they  can  grasp,  and 
as  you  approach  they  dart  away  with  a  wavy  flight 
and  twittering  to  the  time  of  their  wing-beats.  Go  in 
August  to  the  same  field,  and  about  the  same  rank  but 
now  green  growths  you  will  find  these  same  birds, 
but  the  males  in  less  shabby  clothes,  having  now  a 
smart  yellow  and  shiny  black  suit.  Startle  them  and 
you  will  have  the  same  performance, — undulatory 
flight  and  a  song  to  match  it.  It  is  seldom  that  you 
find  one  alone.  They  have  a  most  hearty  apprecia- 
tion of  the  merits  of  their  kind,  and  often  half  a  hun- 
dred will  be  found  together.  Given  an  old  field  with 
plenty  of  blooming  thistle,  and  the  Yellow-birds 
thank  you  for  the  paradise. 

In  autumn  there  comes  down  to  us  from  more 
northern  regions  another  of  these  yellow-birds,  but 
it  is  never  bright  yellow,  and  when  in  the  Middle 
States  is  as  much  like  the  preceding  as  two  peas  in  a 
pod.  It  has,  of  course,  a  variety  of  common  names, 
when  not  confounded  with  the  common  or  resident 
species,  as  Pine-linnet,  Pine-siskin,  and  Pine-finch. 
All  these  names  refer  to  the  same  sort  of  tree,  but 
the  bird  itself  is  really  not  so  particular  and  has 
equal  fondness  for  other  tall  trees,  if  they  will  pro- 
vide it  any  food,  and  some  of  them  appear  to  do  so. 
At  times,  too,  a  huge  flock  of  them  will  descend  to 
a  rank  growth  of  weeds.  A  heavy  snow-fall  tames 
them,  of  course,  and  I  once  fed  a  large  flock  for  four 
days  with  bread-crumbs,  which  they  ate  greedily ;  so 
greedily,  indeed,  that  their  husky  twitter  I  translated 
as  give  me  more,  give  me  more. 

In  the  beautiful  Snow-bunting  or  Snow-flake,  as 


94  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

it  is  sometimes  called,  we  have  one  of  our  handsomest 
sparrows.  It  is  a  northern  bird,  and  not  at  all  dis- 
posed to  wander  out  of  New  England  if  it  can  help 
it  Its  summer  home  is  "  the  circumpolar  region," 
and  yet  it  may  be  an  occasional  pair  nest  out  of 
bounds.  I  well  remember  a  superbly  snowy  winter 
day  some  thirty  years  ago,  not  too  cold,  but  every 
object  hidden  by  a  dense  mantle  of  feathery,  clinging 
snow.  About  noon  the  sun  shone  out  brightly  and 
the  landscape  was  too  dazzling  for  the  unprotected 
eye.  I  set  forth,  peering  painfully  under  the  rim  of 
my  hat,  but  ready  to  take  note  of  any  bird  that  came 
by.  Before  I  had  gone  twenty  paces  there  were 
birds  on  the  stilts  of  the  wheelbarrow,  they  were 
scattered  over  the  few  projecting  stakes  in  the  wood- 
pile, and  a  host  of  them  had  gathered  in  the  open 
wagon-shed.  These  were  particularly  happy,  for  they 
were  eagerly  picking  at  the  bits  that  lay  about  where 
the  carcasses  of  pigs  had  been  cut  up  a  few  days  be- 
fore. My  near  presence  seemed  to  worry  them,  and 
they  gathered  into  a  loose  flock  and  hurried  to  the 
fields.  I  followed,  and  still  recall  their  head-over- 
heels  flight,  and  remember  their  cheery  whistling 
chirp.  Since  then  I  have  seen  but  few  of  these 
birds.  The  winter  of  1892-93  was  a  "  circumpolar" 
one  in  the  valley  of  the  Delaware,  and  I  am  told 
brought  a  considerable  number  of  these  birds ;  so 
many,  indeed,  that  under  the  name  of  "  winter  reed- 
birds"  they  were  sold  in  the  markets. 

The  Lapland  Long-spur  comes  to  Pennsylvania 
every  winter  where  that  State  touches  upon  Lake 
Erie,  but  it  does  not  wander  beyond  unless  moved 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  95 

by  the  same  influences  that  induce  the  preceding  to 
take  such  a  journey.  Of  course  there  always  will 
be  exceptions  to  such  "  laws"  of  migration.  I  have 
seen  a  mounted  skin  of  a  long-spur  that  must  have 
been  killed  in  New  Jersey  in  November,  and  it  has 
always  seemed  probable  that  one  or  more  of  these 
birds  might  be  associated  with  flocks  of  horned 
larks,  and  so  pass,  unnoticed,  the  winter  among  us. 
This  bird  is  said  to  be  a  fine  singer.  There  are  other 
long-spurs  found  in  the  far  west  and  northwest. 

The  Grass-finch,  Vesper-sparrow,  or  Rut-runner 
next  commands  attention.  This  is  a  native  bird,  mi- 
gratory also  to  some  extent.  I  have  never  failed  to 
see  them  all  winter  in  Southern  New  Jersey.  In  the 
lower  Delaware  Valley,  where  these  birds  are  ex- 
tremely common,  and  of  course  called  by  that  won- 
drously  comprehensive  name  "  Chippy,"  I  have  heard 
the  name  "  Rut-runner"  also  applied,  some  observing 
sweet-potato  grower  having  actually  noticed  that  this 
little  sparrow  has  the  habit  of  keeping  just  ahead  of 
an  approaching  wagon,  and,  when  not  on  the  wing, 
"  runs  like  a  killdeer  up  the  rut."  There  are  few 
grassy  fields,  I  imagine,  where  this  bird  is  not  found, 
and  you  are  not  likely  to  mistake  it,  for  it  shows  two 
white  feathers  in  its  tail  when  flying.  It  is  a  ground 
bird  the  greater  part  of  each  day,  and  chirps  when 
startled  like  any  other  "  chippy ;"  but  it  is  a  master 
musician  for  all  that,  and,  singing  at  or  after  sundown, 
has  been  aptly  called  the  vesper-sparrow.  Bur- 
roughs's  "  Wake  Robin,"  which  everybody  should 
read,  will  tell  you  all  about  the  bird,  and  in  a  way, 
too,  that  no  one  else  can. 


g6  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

This  sparrow  builds  its  nest  on  the  ground,  laying 
pretty  white  eggs  with  a  goodly  sprinkling  of  reddish- 
brown. 

A  group  of  sparrows  known  scientifically  as 
the  Ammodrami,  includes  some  migratory  species, 
and  the  Grasshopper-finch,  that  loves  to  twitter 
from  the  lower  rails  of  an  old  worm-fence,  is  one 
of  them.  Seen  at  a  little  distance  you  might  not 
distinguish  it  from  some  of  our  other  and  even 
commoner  ones,  but  if  you  caught  a  glimpse  of  the 
bright-yellow  bend  of  the  wing  you  could  make  no 
mistake.  What  a  queer  little  wheezy  song  it  has ! 
Not  much  louder  than  the  squeak  of  a  mouse,  and 
suggestive  of  the  grasshopper's  stridulation ;  hence 
one  of  its  common  names.  Like  the  grass-finch,  it 
nests  on  the  ground. 

Going  to  the  sea-coast  and  following  the  imme- 
diate shores  of  the  rivers  until  the  water  ceases  to 
be  brackish,  and  sometimes  where  it  is  quite  fresh 
but  still  tide-water,  you  will  find  two  very  interesting 
sparrows.  The  larger  one  and  most  prominent  gen- 
erally is  the  Sharp-tailed  Finch,  or  "  Quail  Head,"  as 
it  is  sometimes  called.  It  is  a  quick-motioned  bird 
that  climbs  as  readily  through  reedy  growths  as  it 
flies  over  them,  and  can  run  with  a  mud-hen's  speed 
over  the  mud.  Nuttall  says  they  cannot  sing,  but 
their  nesting-day  twitter,  heard  in  the  marshes,  where 
we  have  so  little  music,  is  not  so  harsh  as  he  inti- 
mates. A  great  deal  in  bird  music  depends  upon 
association.  After  a  day  on  the  sea-shore  with  but 
the  grating  of  a  gull's  cry  in  your  ear,  the  lively 
twitter  of  a  sharp-tailed  finch  is  certainly  refreshing. 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  97 

The  Sea-side  Finch  is  more  strictly  marine  than  the 
preceding,  and  what  the  sand-pipers  do  in  the  way  of 
running  and  wave  dodging  is  quite  within  this  spar- 
row's capabilities ;  but  it  does  more :  it  does  its  best 
to  enliven  the  salt  marshes  by  a  lively  little  song 
which  it  hears,  doubtless,  but  which  is  often  drowned 
by  the  ceaseless  clack  and  clatter  of  the  clapper  rails. 

Both  the  sharp-tailed  and  sea-side  finches  are  cre- 
puscular, and  run  up  and  down  the  reeds  and  on  the 
water's  edge  long  after  most  birds  have  gone  to 
sleep  ;  and  late  at  night,  on  the  shore  of  Chesapeake 
Bay,  I  have  heard  the  simple  song  of  the  sea-side 
sparrow. 

The  White-crowned  Sparrow  is  a  beautiful  north- 
ern bird  that  comes  southward  in  autumn  and 
remains  until  spring.  Along  the  coast-line  and 
through  the  Delaware  Valley  they  are  irregular  in 
their  appearance,  but  less  so  in  the  interior.  The 
greater  portion  continue  into  the  strictly  Southern 
States,  and  a  mild  winter  is  called  for  to  keep  them 
where  there  is  likely  to  be  much  ice  and  snow. 

The  white-crowned  sparrows  of  our  Atlantic  sea- 
board go  out  of  the  country  to  breed,  and  congre- 
gate in  Labrador  and  Newfoundland.  Here  Dr. 
Coues  found  them  nesting,  the  structure  being  placed 
upon  the  ground.  This  author  states, — 

"The  song  of  this  species  bears  a  close  general  resemblance  to 
that  of  the  White-throat,  but  is,  nevertheless,  instantly  distinguish- 
able." 

In  the  West,  this  bird  breeds  in  mountainous  regions. 
Mr.  Trippe  describes  their  song,  as  he  heard  it  in 
Colorado,  as 

K      g  9 


98 


THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 


"a  lively,  agreeable  song,  fine  and  clear,  and  frequently  heard 
from  a  score  or  more  of  birds  at  once,  with  a  most  pleasing  effect. 
While  his  mate  is  sitting,  the  male  sings  almost  constantly  through 
out  the  day,  and  sometimes  even  late  into  the  evening." 

The  more  abundant  and  better  known  Peabody- 
bird,  or  White-throated  Sparrow,  scarcely  calls  for 
special  notice.     Everybody  seems  to  know 
it,  and  to  know  all  about  it.     In  summer 
it  is  a  New  England  bird,  and  in  autumn 
it   comes   by   the   hundreds   into   the 
Middle   States  and  southward.     A 
great   many   stay  all   winter    in 
Southern  New  Jersey,  and  there 
are  few  thickets  of  greenbrier 
in  sheltered  places  on  the 
east  shore  of  the  Delaware 
River  but    harbor   some    of 
these      birds.        They      are 
always    perched    on    com- 
fortable  twigs,  and  when 
out  on  half  a  dozen  in  a 
commences. 

active  Tree-sparrow  that 
comes  down  from  the  far  north,  and  is  so  abundant 
in  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey  from  November 
until  April.  They  are  as  active  as  the  white-throats 
are  lazy,  and  keep  up  a  merry  twitter  while  seed- 
hunting.  They  are  always  in  large,  loose  flocks,  and 
when  you  startle  one  he  will  give  a  shrill  alarm-cry, 
and  a  hundred  that  you  did  not  see  will  start  up  out 
of  the  dead  grass  and  weeds,  and  every  one  will  sing 
after  its  fashion.  This  bird  has  ever  been  a  favorite 


the  sun  does  shine 
row   their   whistling 
Very  different  is  the ' 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  99 

of  mine,  not  because  there  is  so  much  of  him  as  so 
much  of  them.  It  is  a  case  where  one  is  not  as  good 
as  a  hundred,  but  just  the  opposite,  and  a  hundred, 
fortunately,  are  easier  found  than  one.  Nuttall  speaks 
of  two  or  three  singing  together.  I  have  heard  a 
full  chorus,  and  it  is  then  music  that  makes  you  for- 
get the  "  deadness"  of  the  season. 

Akin  to  this  bird  is  the  true  "  Chippy,"  the  little 
chestnut-crowned  fellow  that  becomes  so  delightfully 
tame.  If  it  were  not  for  the  infernal  cats  that  people 
persist  in  keeping  about,  I  believe  the  chippies  would 
venture  in  through  open  windows  and  peck  crumbs 
from  the  table.  This  bird  is  the  type  of  gentleness, 
and  I  have  several  times  obtained  its  perfect  confi- 
dence. To  a  certain  extent  they  are  migratoiy, 
coming  early  in  spring  and  retiring  when  winter 
fairly  sets  in ;  but  a  few  remain,  finding  some  cosey 
nook  that  shelters  them  in  severe  weather;  but  if 
there  is  food  sufficient,  mere  cold  of  itself  does  not 
seem  to  incommode  them. 

Strangely  enough,  many  people  confound  the  Field- 
sparrow  with  the  Chippy.  They  are  only  alike  in 
being  equally  delightful.  The  chippy's  song,  so 
simple  yet  so  sweet,  a  mere  tst-tst-tst-tst-tsee,  the  last 
"  syllable"  being  long-drawn,  "  almost  like  the  jin- 
gling of  farthings,"  as  Nuttall  puts  it,  is  very  differ- 
ent in  tone,  volume,  and  animation  from  the  clear, 
well-rounded  te-de-de-de-de-d-d-d  that  rings  from 
early  morning  until  after  sunset  in  our  pastures.  I 
say  "  pastures"  rather  than  "  fields,"  for  the  bird  has 
always  seemed  to  me  to  prefer  the  grass  and  a 
goodly  sprinkling  of  weeds  to  cultivated  acres. 


ioo  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

There  should  be  a  small  tree  or  two  scattered  about, 
for  the  elevated  perch  with  a  commanding  outlook 
is  almost  needed  to  induce  our  little  favorite  to  put 
forth  his  best  efforts. 

The  Field-sparrow  comes  early  and  stays  late, 
and  not  a  very  small  percentage  have  of  late  omitted 
the  migratory  flight.  In  May  they  build  pretty  little 
nests,  usually  just  off  the  ground,  and  in  Central 
New  Jersey  raise  two  broods. 

Those  that  migrate  do  so  in  loose  flocks,  and, 
associated  with  chippies,  remain  in  companies  until 
it  is  time  to  return  to  their  proper  homes,  their  sum- 
mer nesting-  and  resting-places. 

In  various  parts  of  the  country  there  are  snow- 
birds that  are  peculiar  to  the  areal  limits  they  visit. 
Ridgway  mentions  seven  and  some  varieties.  Some 
of  these  are  more  elaborately  marked  than  others, 
though  none  are  brightly  colored.  All  are  lively, 
sociable  little  birds,  and  as  a  class  are  fond  of  each 
other's  company,  and  wander  in  loose  flocks,  often 
containing  a  large  number  of  individuals. 

The  Snow-bird  "  breeds  from  Northern  New  Eng- 
land  northward,  and  on   the   higher  hills  south  to 
North   Carolina.       It  is  an 
abundant  summer  resident" 
of  Eastern  Canada.     "The 
song  is  very  similar  to  that 
of  the  Chipping  Sparrow." 
Snow-bird  It  usually  places  its  nest  upon 

the  ground.  My  own  im- 
pression of  the  song  is  that  it  is  sweeter  and  more 
elaborate  than  that  of  the  chippy.  On  April  6,  1 879, 1 


SEA-SIDE   FINCHES   AND  NEST. 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  lot 

wandered  over  a  pretty  high  hill  in  North  Carolina,  and 
found  many  snow-birds  about  the  bushes  lining  the 
rough  mountain  road.  They  appeared  to  be  all  sing- 
ing, and  made  a  ringing  clatter  that  drowned  other 
bird-voices  deeper  in  the  woods.  Singling  out  sepa- 
rate birds,  I  heard  two  long-drawn  and  clearly-uttered 
notes  that  preceded  the  twitter,  and  if  it  had  been 
in  November  and  at  my  Jersey  home,  I  should  have 
translated  it  as  "  Snow's  coming,  'tis,  'tis,  'tis"  But 
here  there  was  no  sign  of  winter.  The  ground  was 
pink  with  blooming  arbutus,  the  air  heavy  with  odor 
and  the  hum  of  bees.  I  was  told  these  snow-birds 
remained  all  summer,  and  their  singing  meant 
"  Spring's  coming,"  and  not  the  approach  of  a  snow- 
storm. Occasionally,  since  then,  I  have  heard  in 
midwinter  a  song  of  this  bird  that  was  even  of  fuller 
volume. 

In  the  Song-sparrow  we  have  a  resident  species 
in  the  Middle  States,  but  one  that  is  migratory  in 
the  northern  parts  of  the  country;  as,  for  instance, 
when  "  it  arrives  at  St.  John,  New  Brunswick,  during 
the  second  week  in  April  in  immense  flocks,  and  is 
usually  accompanied  by  similar  flocks  of  Robins  and 
Juncos  (snow-birds)."  I  would  that  we  could  speak 
of  "  immense  flocks"  of  these  birds  here  in  the  Mid- 
dle States.  Abundant,  widely  spread,  and  a  feature 
of  the  whole  year,  and  yet  there  was  never  enough 
of  them.  Unfortunately,  too,  the  English  sparrow 
has  in  a  great  measure  driven  them  away  from  our 
town  and  the  immediate  surroundings  of  our  country 
houses.  I  always  associate  the  song-sparrow  with  a 
gooseberry-hedge,  a  dilapidated,  lichen-coated  paling, 
9* 


IO2  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

and  a  half-dead  plum-tree;  the  last  remnants  of  an 
old  garden  set  apart  for  a  few  flowers  and  some  beds 
of  herbs  in  the  closing  years  of  the  last  century. 
Here  the  song-sparrows  lived,  and  never  seemed  to 
wander  away  from  it.  In  April,  when  the  robins 
roused  all  sleepers  at  dawn,  the  sparrow  was  among 
the  first  to  respond,  and  while  yet  the  sun  was  below 
the  horizon  assured  all  the  plain  Quakers  within 
hearing  that  he  was  a  good  Pres-pres-pres-pres-pres- 
by-te-rian.  One  needs  the  fresh  eyes,  quick  ears, 
and  supple  limbs  of  youth  to  rightly  study  birds. 
Then  I  knew  every  song-sparrow  on  the  farm,  and 
there  was  a  good  deal  of  difference  among  them. 
Scarcely  two  sang  quite  alike,  and  yet  there  was  that 
family  resemblance  that  made  the  song  unmistakable. 
In  nesting,  too,  the  birds  differed,  as  many  having 
nests  in  low  bushes  as  others  did  upon  the  ground. 
The  eggs  varied  so  as  to  clutches,  that  in  the 
common  mind  it  was  held  that  there  were  "bush 
chippies"  and  "  ground  chippies,"  for,  curiously 
enough,  all  the  small  birds,  except  the  humming-bird, 
whether  warblers,  flycatchers,  or  the  small  thrushes, 
were  called  by  that  one  word  "  chippy."  It  was  the 
extent  of  the  average  man's  ornithological  knowledge, 
beyond  swallows  and  the  game-birds. 

Not  very  unlike  the  song-sparrow  is  another  species 
that  does  not  come  even  into  our  old-fashioned  gar- 
dens, but  lives  in  just  such  places  as  we  are  apt  to 
keep  clear  of,  as  the  swamps,  marshes,  and  low  river- 
banks  that  are  covered  with  bushes,  and  for  this 
reason  it  is  known,  when  known  at  all,  as  the  Swamp- 
sparrow.  They  are  not  such  sprightly  musicians  as 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  103 

the  others,  but  have  such  good  opinion  of  their  own 
efforts  that  from  April  until  October  they  enliven 
these  waste  places  with 

"  a  few  trilling,  rather  monotonous  minor  notes,  resembling,  in  some 
measure,  the  song  of  the  Field-sparrow.  .  .  .  These  notes  are  made 
with  considerable  effort,  and  sometimes  with  a  spreading  of  the  tail. 
In  the  spring,  on  their  first  arrival,  this  song  is  delivered  with  much 
spirit,  and  echoes  through  the  marshes  like  the  trill  of  the  Canary." 

Nuttall,  from  whom  I  have  quoted,  says  these  birds 

"thread  their  devious  way  with  the  same  alacrity  as  the  Rail, 
with  whom  they  are  indeed  often  associated  in  neighborhood.  In 
consequence  of  this  perpetual  brushing  through  sedge  and  bushes, 
their  feathers  are  frequently  so  worn  that  their  tails  appear  almost 
like  those  of  rats." 

I  have  never  noticed  this,  but  the  habit  of  wagging 
or  dipping  the  tail,  and,  indeed,  of  teetering  the  whole 
body,  as  do  the  oven-birds,  is  very  noticeable.  Near 
a  shad-fishery,  about  which  I  love  to  loaf  in  early 
spring,  these  birds  are  very  abundant,  and  during  the 
hauls  of  the  seine,  while  waiting  for  the  net  to  be 
drawn  inshore,  I  have  amused  myself  by  the  hour 
watching  them  hopping  and  running  over  the  smooth 
beach,  and  often  perching  on  a  small  projecting  peb- 
ble. It  was  here  that  I  learned  of  the  bird's  fondness 
for  fish,  and  have  often  seen  two  or  three  tugging  at 
a  dead  herring,  trying  to  get  from  beneath  the  scales 
a  good  bite  of  the  flesh.  Fresh  fish  had,  I  judged, 
no  attraction  for  them,  but  such  as  had  lain  in  the 
sun  for  several  days  and  were  literally  dry  as  a  chip. 
Wilson  states, — 

"  They  form  their  nest  in  the  ground,  sometimes  in  a  tussock  of 
rank  grass  surrounded  by  water,  and  lay  four  eggs  of  a  dirty  white, 


IO4  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

spotted  with  rufous.  So  late  as  the  fifteenth  of  August  I  have  seen 
them  feeding  their  young  that  were  scarcely  able  to  fly." 

So  far,  so  good ;  but  he  did  not  follow  the  bird  up 
very  closely,  or  he  would  have  seen  how  very  abun- 
dant they  are  in  localities  that  suit  them,—  i.e.,  in  the 
Middle  States, — and  that  a  considerable  proportion 
do  not  migrate  at  all.  When,  as  sometimes  happens, 
we  have  no  winter  at  all,  these  birds  make  their  fa- 
vorite haunts  as  lively  in  January  as  ever  they  do  in 
June. 

Another  strictly  migratory  sparrow,  and  a  very 
prince  among  the  tribe,  is  the  large,  beautiful  Foxie 
Finch.  They  come  to  the  Middle  States  in  October 
and  generally  pass  on  southward,  but  occasionally 
some  remain.  I  know  that  in  mild  winters  this  is 
true.  At  such  times  the  little  flocks  are  skulkers, 
and  have  to  be  started  up  by  throwing  a  stick  into 
the  thicket,  when  they  rise  with  quite  a  whirring  of 
the  wings  and  twitter  musically.  Their  single  cheep 
has  a  bell-like  ring  that  fits  well  with  the  bright,  crisp 
air  of  a  frosty  October  morning,  and  when  a  dozen 
sound  this  note  together  the  effect  is  very  pleasing. 
Their  favorite  haunts  in  autumn,  and,  indeed,  also  in 
spring,  are  the  old  weed-tangled  worm-fences,  with 
here  and  there  a  tree  towering  above  it.  The  trees 
do  not  figure  in  their  history  in  October,  but  in 
March,  when  they  are  northward  bound  for  their  far 
Canadian  homes,  they  are  in  an  anticipatory  frame 
of  mind,  and  often  going  well  up  towards  the  tops 
of  the  trees,  they  sing  an  exultant  song  that  is  posi- 
tively charming.  William  Brewster  admirably  de- 
scribes it  as  a 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  105 

"  fervent,  sensuous,  and  withal  perfectly-rounded  carol.  ...  It  ex- 
presses careless  joy  and  exultant  masculine  vigor  rather  than  the  finer 
shades  of  sentiment." 


On  the  Pacific  coast,  in  the  mountains  of  Cali- 
fornia, and  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  there  are  foxie 
sparrows  that  are  "  varieties"  of  our  Eastern  form, 
much  like  him  in  a  general  way,  but  with  no  charac- 
teristic that  is  an  advance  over  the  bird  that  has  ever 
been  a  delight  to  all  who  are  fortunate  enough  to 
know  him. 

When,  forty  years  ago,  it  was  my  good  fortune  to 
be  allowed  to  go  with  "  the  boy"  after  the  cows, 
about  sunset,  as  I  passed  along  a  narrow  path  that 
extended  for  several  rods  through  a  briery  tangle,  I 
never  failed  to  see  a  strange  black,  white,  and  brown 
bird  that  seemed  to  follow  us  and  resent  our  intru- 
sion by  the  vehement  utterance  of  what  sounded 
like  re-treat,  re-treat.  I  was  told  then  that  the  bird 
was  the  Swamp-robin,  and  later  fell  to  calling  it 
"  Chewink."  As  with  many  another  bird  that  gets 
its  familiar  name  from  the  fancied  resemblance  of  its 


io6  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

song  to  words  in  our  language,  this  one  has  received 
several,  and  as  all  are  objectionable,  or  for  some 
other  reason,  they  are  spoken  of  now  in  genteel 
society  as  Pipilos.  To  me  they  are  Chewinks,  and 
ever  will  be. 

In  April  or  earlier  they  make  their  appearance  and 
stay  until  November;  but,  as  in  many  other  cases, 
quite  a  number  remain  during  the  winter  in  their 
summer  haunts.  Their  requirements  are  wet  ground, 
weeds,  and  dense  underbrush.  If  among  this  are 
many  tall  trees,  so  much  the  better.  In  other  words, 
they  love  a  swampy  woods  better  than  a  dry  one. 
The  chewink  is  not  restricted  to  a  simple  calling  out 
of  his  own  name.  In  May  the  male  birds  attempt  an 
elaborate  song,  and  if  not  wholly  successful,  it  is  by 
no  means  a  complete  failure.  The  efforts  of  various 
writers  to  express  it  in  syllables  are  not  quite  satis- 
factory ;  at  least,  they  use  too  many  consonants  and 
not  enough  vowels.  The  love-song  of  this  bird 
sounds  to  me  like  ee-oo,  66666.  It  is  soft,  liquid, 
and  without  trace  of  consonantal  harshness,  and 
being  continued  with  slight  variations,  is  free  from 
monotony.  This  song  is  only  uttered,  I  think,  when 
the  bird  is  perched  some  ten  or  twelve  feet  from  the 
ground. 

The  nest  is  placed  directly  upon  the  ground,  is 
made  of  dead  leaves  and  grass,  and  the  eggs  are  as 
inconspicuous  as  dirt  color  can  make  them.  It  is 
not  easy  to  find  them,  but  very  easy  to  step  where  you 
should  not  have  put  your  foot  and  so  destroy  them. 
Whether  this  happens  or  not,  your  presence  is  a 
matter  of  great  distress  to  the  birds,  and  if  you  have 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  107 

proper  regard  for  another's  feelings  you  will  retire. 
There  is  not  a  vestige  of  reason,  at  this  late  day,  why 
any  one  should  rob  a  bird's  nest. 

In  the  summer  of  1893  I  had  a  curious  experi- 
ence with  a  male  chewink.  I  was  on  a  legitimate 
errand  in  a  tangled  swamp,  when  suddenly  a  chewink 
appeared  directly  above  me,  scolding  vehemently.  I 
went  about  my  business,  and  having  gathered  the 
plants  that  I  was  after,  walked  a  full  eighth  of  a  mile 
to  a  grassy  bank  among  old  oaks  to  take  a  deliberate, 
long-drawn-out  nooning.  The  bird  followed  me,  and 
when  I  laid  down  and  attempted  to  take  a  nap,  came 
very  closely  and  chirped  che-wink  into  my  ears  so 
that  sleep  was  impossible.  I  remained  in  the  one 
spot  from  i  P.M.  to  2.30  P.M.,  and  then  started  for 
home,  the  bird  still  there,  but  showing  no  dispo- 
sition to  still  remain  in  my  company.  I  never 
knew  what  was  the  trouble,  but  think  it  probable  I 
had  stepped  upon  its  nest  while  botanizing  in  the 
swamp. 

I  have  often  wondered  if  any  one  was  so  indifferent 
to  birds  that  he  would  not  turn  his  head  if  a  Cardinal 
Grosbeak  flashed  by.  I  would  rather  see  than  know 
such  a  man.  All  my  life  I  have  known  the  Winter 
Red-birds,  for  by  this  name  in  my  early  days  they 
were  always  spoken  of  to  distinguish  them  from  the 
Summer  Red-bird,  or  Tanager ;  and  in  Central  New 
Jersey,  too,  the  name  of  Winter  Red-bird  was  a  most 
appropriate  one,  for  the  bird  was  a  common,  persistent 
feature  of  the  December  landscape.  I  never  could 
understand  why  it  was  that  Wilson  should  assert  of 
them  that 


io8  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

"They  are  in  song  from  March  to  September,  beginning  at  the 
first  appearance  of  dawn,  and  repeating  a  favorite  stanza,  or  passage, 
twenty  or  thirty  times  successively ;  sometimes  with  little  intermis- 
sion for  a  whole  morning  together ;  which,  like  a  good  story  too  often 
repeated,  becomes  at  length  tiresome  and  insipid.  But  the  sprightly 
figure  and  gaudy  plumage  of  the  Red-bird,  his  vivacity,  strength  of 
voice,  and  actual  variety  of  note,  and  the  little  expense  with  which 
he  is  kept,  will  always  make  him  a  favorite." 

They  are  every  whit  as  much  in  song  the  other 
months.  They  are,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  never  out  of 
it.  Mute,  indeed  !  I  have  seen  many  a  score  of  them, 
singly,  of  course,  when  the  ground  was  completely 
covered  with  snow,  perched  upon  a  low  shrub,  whis- 
tling so  clearly  and  loudly  that  they  could  be  heard 
in  the  house  with  the  windows  closed.  A  bright 
sunny  morning  after  a  snow-storm  seemed  always  to 
be  a  favorite  time  with  them,  and  the  whole  range 
of  their  songs  would  be  performed  at  a  single  sitting. 
As  a  winter  bird  they  are  a  superb  success. 

From  April  to  October  they  lead  a  commonplace 
life, — a  well-behaved  sparrow  and  nothing  more.  Of 
course  their  bright  plumage  makes  them  conspicu- 
ous, and  they  are  themselves  aware  of  this,  for  they 
are  ever  on  the  alert  and  flit  out  of  sight  at  the 
slightest  hint  of  danger.  Of  course  a  thick  tangle 
of  greenbrier  is  a  great  protection,  and  I  have  often 
wondered  why  they  did  not  nest  in  them  instead  of 
in  more  exposed  places,  for  I  have  found  many  nests 
that  were  of  easy  access. 

A  condition  not  common  to  the  sparrows  obtains 
among  the  Cardinals,  that  of  the  females  being  ex- 
cellent singers  and  much  given  to  exercising  their 
powers.  But  they  are  not  the  equals  of  their  lords 


ROSE-BREASTED   GROSBEAKS. 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS. 


109 


and  masters,  and,  as  in  mankind,  they  should  not  be. 
Occasionally  these  birds,  both  male  and  female,  take 
to  imitation,  and  where  the  note  mim- 
icked is  a  clear,  full  one,  the  success  is 
pronounced.  I  remember  hearing  a 
whippoorwill  imitated,  and  as  it  was 
in  broad  daylight,  the  sound  was  the 
more  noticeable;  for,  contrary  as  birds 
are  disposed  to  be,  I  never  heard 
the  whippoorwill  at  high  noon. 

Nuttall  has  treated  of  the 
Cardinal's   song   most   ex- 
haustively and  correctly, 
but  so  very  varied  are  the 
many    whistlings    that 
the  bird  must  be  heard  to 
be  appreciated.  Nuttall  gives 
a   dozen   variations   of  the 
bird's  song.    It  were  easy  to 
ditional  ones.     We  get  an 
ever,  by  remembering  one 
tones  of  the  Cardinal  are 
in    the     manner     of    the 


give  a  dozen  ad- 
idea  of  it,  how- 
fact,  that "  all  the 
whistled     much 
human  voice." 


A  migratory  grosbeak,  brilliantly  black  and  white, 
with  a  superbly  rose-tinted  breast,  comes  from  the 
south  to  the  Middle  States  every  spring,  and  while 
many  remain,  others  go  farther  north,  even  to  Canada, 
although  beyond  the  United  States  they  are  said  to 
be  rare.  We  all  have  our  preferences  and  are  entitled 
to  them,  and  my  fancy  is  that  this  Rose-breasted 
Grosbeak  is  our  finest  singer.  Of  course  there  goes 
up  the  shout,  "  What  of  our  thrushes  ?"  That  has 


iio  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

nothing  to  do  with  it.  I  am  speaking  for  myself 
only.  It  has  always  been  a  matter  of  surprise  to  me 
that  those  who  have  had  the  best  opportunities  of 
studying  this  bird  have  spoken  of  it  in  such  an  un- 
enthusiastic  way,  even  actually  comparing  it  to  the 
tiresome  cacophony  of  the  commonplace  robin. 

I  have  never  seen  any  description  of  the  song  that 
seemed  to  do  it  justice,  although  Nuttall's  is  an  ap- 
proach to  it,  when  he  says  it  is  "  with  all  the  varied 
and  touching  tones  of  the  Nightingale."  And  adds, 
"  while  thus  earnestly  engaged  it  seems  to  mount  on 
tiptoe  in  an  ecstasy  of  enthusiasm  and  delight  at 
the  unrivalled  harmony  of  its  own  voice.  The  notes 
are  wholly  warbled;  now  loud,  clear,  and  vaulting 
with  a  querulous  air,  then  perhaps  sprightly,  and 
finally  lower,  tender,  and  pathetic." 

In  the  West  is  found  the  Black-headed  Grosbeak, 
of  which  Dr.  Coues  says, — 

"  Like  others  of  the  same  beautiful  genus,  it  is  a  brilliant  and  en- 
thusiastic vocalist,  its  song  resembling  that  of  the  Rose-breasted 
Grosbeak,  and  having  much  similarity  to  that  of  the  Baltimore 
Oriole." 

Its  habits  generally  are  the  same  as  those  of  the 
Eastern  bird. 

The  Blue  Grosbeak  belongs  to  the  "  more  southern 
eastern  United  States,"  and  comes  north  "  regularly 
(but  very  locally)  to  Pennsylvania,  Kentucky,  Kansas, 
etc." 

There  is  no  possibility  of  confusion  or  doubt  as  to 
the  distribution  in  summer  of  the  Indigo-bird.  It 
is  too  abundant  for  that,  and  cannot  be  mistaken  for 
any  other  species. 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  in 

"  Its  favorite  haunts  while  with  us,"  remarks  Wilson,  "  are  about 
gardens,  fields  of  deep  clover,  the  borders  of  woods,  and  roadsides, 
where  it  is  frequently  seen  perched  on  the  fences.  In  its  manners 
it  is  extremely  active  and  neat,  and  a  vigorous  and  pretty  good 
songster.  It  mounts  to  the  highest  tops  of  a  large  tree,  and  chants 
for  half  an  hour  at  a  time.  Its  song  is  not  one  continued  strain,  but 
a  repetition  of  short  notes,  commencing  loud  and  rapid,  and  falling 
by  almost  imperceptible  gradations  for  six  or  eight  seconds,  till  they 
seem  hardly  articulate,  as  if  the  little  minstrel  were  quite  exhausted ; 
and  after  a  pause  of  half  a  minute  or  less,  commences  again  as  be- 
fore. Some  of  our  birds  sing  only  in  spring,  and  then  chiefly  in  the 
morning,  being  comparatively  mute  during  the  heat  of  noon ;  but 
the  Indigo-bird  chants  with  as  much  animation  under  the  meridian 
sun  in  the  month  of  July  as  in  the  month  of  May,  and  continues  his 
song,  occasionally,  to  the  middle  or  end  of  August." 

In  the  South  and  West  are  found  the  Varied,  Laz- 
uli, Beautiful,  and  Painted  Buntings,  all  belonging  to 
the  genus  Passerina,  of  which  our  Indigo-bird  is  the 
Northern  representative.  They  are  all  more  beau- 
tiful birds  than  the  one  we  have  treated  of,  but  in  gen- 
eral habits  much  the  same,  the  song  even  having  a 
strong  family  resemblance,  and  no  one  much  the 
superior  of  the  others.  Occasionally  a  "  straggler" 
Painted  Bunting  has  been  reported  as  found  "  wild" 
in  Pennsylvania.  One  of  these,  I  am  positive,  was  an 
escaped  cage-bird. 

The  Black-throated  Bunting,  or  "  Dickcissal,"  ends 
the  sparrow  series,  but  because  last  is  by  no  means 
least.  In  1873  I  spent  several  months  in  a  house  in 
Central  New  Jersey  beside  which  was  an  open  lot. 
There  was  some  grass  and  more  weeds  growing  in 
it.  For  convenience,  I  adopted  the  lazy  man's  plan 
of  making  a  short  cut  across  this  open  space,  and 
before  I  had  worn  much  of  a  path  I  found  that  the 


112  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

lot  was  literally  full  of  birds.  They  came  one  morn- 
ing or  in  the  night,  about  May  I,  and  remained  until 
late  in  October.  They  were  almost  as  noisy  as  the 
street  sparrows,  but  a  good  deal  more  musical.  They 
were  black-throated  buntings.  My  attempt  made  at 
the  time  to  imitate  their  song  resulted  in  sS-tsee-slt- 
d-see-see.  As  this  differs  somewhat  from  Nuttall's 
and  Wilson's  account,  I  will  add  that  I  think  I  never 
failed  to  hear  two  or  three  singing  at  once,  and  so 
may  have  added  notes  of  one  bird  to  the  song  of 
another.  This  weedy,  open  lot,  on  the  edge  of  the 
town,  seemed  to  be  wholly  to  their  liking,  and  they 
did  not  stray  from  it.  There  was  water  at  the  lower 
end  and  grasshoppers  innumerable,  so  the  birds  re- 
mained eating,  drinking,  and  making  merry  until 
autumn  was  well  advanced. 

I  found  several  nests,  all  upon  the  ground,  but 
none  with  eggs.  They  all  contained  young  birds, 
and  how  they  escaped  the  long  procession  of  prowl- 
ing tomcats  that  made  night  hideous  and  marred 
many  a  day  is  one  of  Nature's  unsolved  problems. 


White-crowned  Sparrow. 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  113 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE   PERCHING    BIRDS. (Concluded?) 

THE  first  of  the  several  groups  to  be  considered 
in  this  chapter  is  that  important  one,  the  Tyrant 
Flycatchers.  The  very  name  suggests  a  lively  time, 
and  I  certainly  never  saw  a  lazy  bird  among  them. 
They  are  fly-catchers,  not  fly-hunters,  and  it  is  the 
insect  on  the  wing  that  concerns  them  more  than  the 
crawling  slug  down  in  the  dirt.  These  birds  are 
divided  by  ornithologists  into  eleven  genera,  and,  of 
course,  there  are  many  species,  but  I  think  that  the 
general  family  likeness  is  so  pronounced  that  no  one 
will  be  likely  to  confound  them  with  birds  of  other 
families.  Some  of  them  are  beautifully  colored,  but 
in  the  United  States  the  great  majority  have  neither 
color  nor  voice  to  commend  them.  They  are  prac- 
tical birds,  eminently  useful  rather  than  ornamental. 

The  most  beautiful  of  these  birds  are  two  species 
that  are  distinguished  by  their  long  forked  tails  and 
light,  gray-white,  pink,  and  yellow  coloration.  The 
Fork-tailed  Flycatcher  is  said  to  be  "  accidental"  to 
Mississippi,  Kentucky,  and  New  Jersey,  and  the 
Scissor-tailed  is  a  real  resident  of  our  territory,  keep- 
ing closely  to  the  Southwest,  but  occasionally  going 
so  far  from  home  as  British  America. 

Of  Kingbirds  proper  there  are  five  species,  and 
they  do  not  differ  much  among  themselves.  Every 
A  10* 


H4  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

boy  in  the  country  knows  the  Kingbird.  No  one 
has  probably  missed  the  sight  of  a  little  dark-gray 
bird  with  a  bit  of  a  topknot  and  white  edging  to  his 
tail  launch  out  and  upward,  and  when  above  some 
passing  crow  dip  down  and  nip,  or  make  believe  to 
nip  it,  about  the  head. 

In  May  or  June,  when  the  kingbirds  have  their 
nests,  there  are  so  many  other  and  more  attractive 
birds  that  we  do  not  notice  them  so  much,  but  they 
play  a  prominent  part  in  August  and  September, 
when  young  and  old  gather  in  loose  companies,  often 
associated  with  birds  of  other  kinds,  and  long  before 
cold  weather  has  set  in  proceed  on  their  southward 
journey. 

Another  flycatcher,  and  one  that  we  are  sure  to 
hear  before  we  see,  is  the  Great-crested.  It  is  very 
plainly  dressed,  and  of  all  our  birds  has  the  most 
disagreeable  voice,  a  veritable  grating  squawk  that 
must  be  uttered  of  necessity  rather  than  choice,  for 
the  bird  can  surely  only  be  pained  when  it  hears 
itself  speak.  They  reach  the  Middle  States  in  April 
and  make  as  long  a  stay  as  the  kingbird.  As  fly- 
catchers they  are  much  the  same,  and  are  just  as 
brave  so  far  as  defending  their  nests  is  concerned, 
but  do  not  seem  to  be  anxious  to  forever  have  a 
quarrel  on  hand. 

Unlike  the  kingbird,  which  builds  an  open  nest, 
the  great-crested  wants  a  commodious  hollow  in  a 
tree,  and  will  not  hesitate  to  question  the  rights  of 
the  little  red  owl,  although  the  latter  has  had  un- 
disturbed possession  all  the  previous  winter.  As 
Wilson  states,— 


I,  KING-BIRD.         2,  GREAT-CRESTED  FLYCATCHER.        3,   WOOD- 
PEWEE.       4,  PH(FBE-BIRD.       5,  SMALL  GREEN  CREST. 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  115 

"  He  builds  his  nest  in  a  hollow  tree  deserted  by  the  Bluebird  or 
Woodpecker.  The  materials  of  which  this  is  formed  are  scanty  and 
rather  novel.  One  of  these  nests,  now  before  me,  is  formed  of  a 
little  loose  hay,  feathers  of  the  Guinea-fowl,  hog's  bristles,  pieces  of 
cast  snake-skins,  and  dog's  hair.  Snake-skins  with  this  bird  appear 
to  be  an  indispensable  article,  for  I  have  never  yet  found  one  of  his 
nests  without  this  material  forming  a  part  of  it.  Whether  he  sur- 
rounds his  nest  with  this  by  way  of  terror  em,  to  prevent  other  birds 
or  animals  from  entering,  or  whether  it  be  that  he  finds  its  silky  soft- 
ness suitable  for  his  young  is  uncertain ;  the  fact,  however,  is  notorious. 
The  female  lays  four  eggs  of  a  dull  cream  color  thickly  scratched 
with  purple  lines  of  various  tints,  as  if  done  with  a  pen." 

An  almost  domesticated  species  is  the  familiar 
Pewee,  or  Phcebe  as  it  is  often  called.  In  some 
localities  the  name  Bridge  Pewee  is  heard,  this  name 
being  derived  from  the  locality  chosen  for  the  nest. 
But  these  birds  build  much  nearer  dwellings  than 
that,  and  often  on  the  pillars  of  porches  where  people 
are  continually  going  and  coming.  Indeed,  when  a 
spot  is  once  chosen  by  them  they  are  not  at  all  dis- 
posed to  give  it  up,  and  when  the  locality  meets  with 
no  opposition,  if  the  first  occupancy  is  successful,  the 
birds  will  continue  to  occupy  it  year  after  year.  It 
is  the  same  pair  of  birds,  too,  as  has  been  proved  by 
experiment,  and  we  have  in  pewees  certainly  a  very 
prominent  instance  of  migratory  birds  that  are  per- 
manently mated. 

The  pewee  is  the  earliest  of  our  flycatchers  to 
arrive.  I  have  seen  it  as  early  as  the  end  of  Feb- 
ruary, and  to  find  them  lingering  during  our  Novem- 
ber Indian-summer  days  is  not  unusual. 

This  bird  is  represented  along  the  Pacific  coast  by 
a  black  phoebe,  and  there  is  also  another,  not  so 
darkly  colored,  known  as  Say's  Flycatcher.  Their 


n6  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

habits  are  not  materially  different.  Dr.  Coues  says 
of  the  latter,  "  It  is  a  bird  of  open  country,  the  Fly- 
catcher of  the  plains.  ...  It  has  the  same  vibrating 
motion  of  the  tail  so  characteristic  of  the  Eastern 
pewee." 

In  New  England  and  "  higher  mountain  districts 
of  the  United  States"  is  found  the  Olive-sided  Fly- 
catcher, which  does  not  with  any  show  of  regularity 
visit  the  lowland  tracts  of  the  Middle  States,  although 
they  have  been  found  in  the  neighborhood  of  Phila- 
delphia. As  a  Colorado  bird,  it  is  described  as  keep- 
ing to  "the  tops  of  the  trees,  and  is  an  active  flycatcher; 
its  voice  is  loud  and  distinct,  and  its  nest  is  placed  in 
the  top  of  a  pine  and  zealously  guarded  from  all  in- 
trusion with  as  much  fierceness  and  energy  as  the 
kingbird's." 

The  Wood  Pewee  is  almost  as  common  as  the 
phcebe  bird,  but  it  has  not  yet  become  so  familiar  as 
to  nest  otherwheres  than  in  trees,  and  among  them  it 
passes  the  whole  summer  away.  It  comes  to  the 
Middle  States  in  April  and  disappears  some  time 
before  the  common  pewees  have  departed.  While 
not  a  shy  bird  as  I  have  seen  it,  it  prefers  shade  to 
sunshine  and  tall  trees  to  scrubby  ones.  It  loves  an 
orchard,  but  it  must  be  one  of  the  old-fashioned  kind, 
with  enough  of  general  neglect  about  it  to  attract 
insects  of  all  kinds.  Then,  too,  the  trees  must  be 
large  and  have  in  their  branches  a  good  range  of 
hunting  ground.  I  have  often  been  amused  at  the 
diving  for  insects  practised  by  these  birds.  Perched 
on  a  dead  twig  of  some  tall  tree  projecting  into  open 
space,  the  wood  pewee  will  look  down  for  insects 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  117 

that  may  pass  beneath,  and  sighting  one,  it  glides 
gracefully  downward,  seizes  the  insect,  and  then 
returns  to  its  perch  with  a  graceful  upward  curve 
that  shows  how  beautiful  a  movement  flight  may  be. 
And  again,  it  will  often  launch  leisurely  into  space, 
and  with  outspread  wings  and  upward  toss  of  the 
head  sing  as  lazily  as  it  is  possible  to  utter  the  sylla- 
bles peg-wSS.  The  words,  if  we  may  call  them  such, 
are  the  same,  but  they  have  none  of  the  snap  of  the 
phcebe. 

Wood  pewees  are  found  in  the  West  and  South 
and  in  British  Columbia,  migratory  like  the  Eastern 
bird,  and  much  the  same  in  all  respects. 

The  Yellow-bellied  Flycatcher  is  rare  in  the  Mid- 
dle States,  not  common  in  New  England,  and  found 
nesting  in  Canada.  It  is  migratory.  It  has  "  gone 
against  the  rules"  more  than  once  and  stayed  all  sum- 
mer in  New  Jersey,  even  nesting  there ;  and  Warren, 
in  "  Birds  of  Pennsylvania,"  gives  various  parts  of 
that  State  as  its  summer  home.  The  song  is  rather 
pleasing  and  more  elaborate,  as  I  have  heard  it,  than 
it  is  described  by  Nuttall  even.  The  nest  that  I  have 
seen  was  in  a  tangle  of  Virginia  creeper  that  clung  to  a 
small  tree,  and  was  fully  twenty  feet  from  the  ground. 

When  the  April  sunshine  has  caused  the  leaf-buds 
to  open,  and  as  we  look  through  the  woods  we  see 
a  pale-green  shimmer,  and  sunlight  penetrating  to 
where  in  a  few  weeks  it  will  be  effectually  shut  out, — 
at  such  a  time  and  in  such  a  place  you  will  see  a 
small  greenish-gray  flycatcher, — the  Acadian, — now 
sailing  from  tree  to  tree,  now  pitching  down  from 
higher  to  lower  perches,  and  again  mounting  up- 


n8  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

ward.  All  the  while,  besides  the  snapping  of  the 
beak  with  a  little  click,  you  can  hear  a  faint  peeping 
sound,  as  if  the  bird  was  fretful,  and  at  stated  and  not 
long  intervals  the  bisyllabic  refrain  that  is  much  the 
same  in  all  the  species.  After  listening  to  them  for 
many  years,  I  believe  that  tshee-kee  as  nearly  as  may 
be  describes  their  notes,  the  greater  stress  being  laid 
on  the  first  syllable.  This  bird  is  common  in  New 
Jersey,  in  woodland  tracts,  and  will  come  into  villages 
where  there  are  abundant  shade  trees  and  in  old 
church-yards. 

In  Central  New  Jersey  they  build  in  trees  at  a  few 
feet  only  from  the  ground,  and  secure  the  nest  to 
two  or  more  limbs  that  are  growing  in  the  same 
direction.  Southward  the  bird  is  more  abundant, 
and  its  place  in  New  England  is  taken  by  the  Least 
Flycatcher  or  "  Chebec,"  a  name  derived  from  the 
song  or  utterance  of  this  species.  This  species  breeds 
abundantly  in  most  parts  of  New  England.  Dr. 
Coues  says,  "  It  is  not  ordinarily  found  in  gloomy 
woods  like  E.  acadicus,  nor  even  in  heavy  timber  of 
any  kind."  The  bird's  nesting  habits  are  much  the 
same  as  those  of  the  preceding. 

Another  of  these  little  fellows  is  Traill's,  which  is 
a  migrant,  going  into  New  England  to  breed,  and  of 
course  away  beyond,  northward.  The  bird  has  some 
minor  peculiarities  that  have  to  be  closely  studied 
to  distinguish  it,  when  alive,  from  the  others.  Thus, 
Mr.  Maynard,  a  very  close  observer,  calls  attention 
to  the  se-wtik  of  the  least  flycatcher  being  more 
rapidly  uttered  and  in  a  lower  tone  than  the  ke-whik 
of  the  Traill's. 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  119 

I  am  very  sure  that  Traill's  flycatcher  does  occa- 
sionally linger  in  New  Jersey,  and  the  other,  the 
least  flycatcher,  is  not  uncommon.  There  are  no 
birds  that  give  to  our  quiet  woods  a  greater  charm 
than  these  little  flycatchers.  The  right  royal  song- 
sters generally  seek  the  edges  of  woodland,  or  con- 
tent themselves  with  thickets,  the  river's  banks,  or 
even  the  open  field.  The  high,  dry,  open  woods  are 
so  apt  to  be  deserted  in  summer  that  we  have  a  feel- 
ing of  loneliness  when  in  them ;  but  if,  happily,  an 
Acadian  flycatcher  wanders  your  way,  you  have  ex- 
cellent company.  He  offers  no  music  and  performs 
no  acrobatic  feats ;  is  neither  philosopher  nor  fool ;  but 
what  we  all  enjoy  more  than  either,  a  right  royal 
good  fellow. 

Following  in  the  order  given  by  Ridgway,  but  a 
wonderfully  different  bird,  is  the  beautiful  Horned 
Lark.  We  have  been  considering  birds  of  the  trees 
and  of  the  air,  and  are  now  brought  to  the  ground, 
for  these  larks  are  either  on  the  grassy  fields  or  in 
the  air,  going  from  one  field  to  another.  Unless, 
therefore,  seen  in  flight,  it  is  quite  possible  to  pass 
them  by,  for  they  not  only  are  not  shy,  but  if  busy 
feeding  prefer  to  squat  rather  than  expose  themselves 
by  taking  wing. 

The  horned  lark  of  the  Atlantic  seaboard  is  the 
lark,  and  the  eleven  varieties  scattered  in  the  West 
are  only  varieties,  with  a  little  more  or  less  tone  in 
the  color  of  the  feathers  to  give  joy  to  museum 
students  and  confuse  those  who  like  the  live  bird  in 
the  home  of  its  own  choice.  Our  horned  larks,  then, 
spend  their  summers  in  Newfoundland  and  Labrador, 


I2O  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

and  come  down  to  civilized  regions  in  November 
and  stay  until  March.  They  come  in  companies  and 
remain  thus  associated.  In  their  travels  they  some- 
times hit  upon  spots  quite  to  their  fancy  and  show 
no  disposition  to  leave  them.  A  flock  of  considerable 
size  was  seen  December  u,  1893,  in  a  field  on 
Burlington  Island  in  the  Delaware  River,  and  at 
this  time,  March  15,  1894,  they  are  still  there.  If 
the  food  supply  is  sufficient,  there  appears  to  be  no 
disposition  to  continue  on  the  move. 
Wilson  says, — 

"  This  is  the  most  beautiful  of  its  genus,  at  least  in  this  part  of  the 
world.  It  is  one  of  our  winter  birds  of  passage,  arriving  from  the 
north  in  the  fall,  usually  staying  with  us  the  whole  winter,  frequent- 
ing sandy  plains  and  open  downs,  and  is  numerous  in  the  Southern 
States,  as  far  as  Georgia,  during  that  season.  They  fly  high  in  loose, 
scattered  flocks,  and  at  these  times  have  a  single  cry,  almost  exactly 
like  the  Skylark  of  Britain.  They  are  very  numerous  in  many 
tracts  of  New  Jersey,  and  are  frequently  brought  to  Philadelphia 
market.  They  are  then  generally  very  fat,  and  are  considered  ex- 
cellent eating.  Their  food  seems  principally  to  consist  of  small, 
round,  compressed  black  seeds,  buckwheat,  oats,  etc.,  with  a  large 
proportion  of  gravel.  On  the  flat  commons  within  the  boundaries 
of  the  city  of  Philadelphia  flocks  of  them  are  regularly  seen  during 
the  whole  winter.  In  the  stomach  of  these  I  have  found,  in  numer- 
ous instances,  quantities  of  the  eggs  or  larvae  of  certain  insects  mixed 
with  a  kind  of  slimy  earth.  About  the  middle  of  March  they  gen- 
erally disappear  on  their  route  to  the  north.  Forster  informs  us  that 
they  visit  the  environs  of  Albany  Fort  in  the  beginning  of  May,  but 
go  farther  north  to  breed ;  that  they  feed  on  grass  seeds  and  buds  of 
the  sprig  birch,  and  run  into  small  holes,  keeping  close  to  the  ground, 
from  whence  the  natives  call  them  chi-chup-pi-sue" 

The  Western  forms  are  not  reported  to  materially 
differ  in  their  habits.  According  to  Warren  ("  Birds 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  121 

of  Pennsylvania"),  one  of  these  varieties  is  a  summer 
resident  about  Lake  Erie. 

We  have  two  species  of  Magpie  in  this  country, 
but  none  of  the  more  Eastern  form  ever  venture 
along  our  Atlantic  coast. 

J.  K.  Lord,  in  his  delightful  volumes  on  British 
Columbia,  has  the  following  gruesome  account  of 
magpies : 

"  These  thievish  murderers  are  everywhere  from  Vancouver  Island 
to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  ...  I  call  them  murderers,  because  I 
have  seen  them  kill  mules;  and,  worse  than  that,  pick  the  eyes  out 
of  a  living  animal  when,  wounded  and  helpless,  it  lay  down  to  die ; 
and  pounce  upon  maimed  birds,  break  in  their  skulls,  and  deliberately 
devour  their  brains  whilst  the  muscles  still  quivered  with  life." 

This  picture  is  so  bad  that  the  regions  where  mag- 
pies are  not  can  cojisider  themselves  fortunate. 

Of  Jays  we  have  nine  species,  and  of  course  many 
local  varieties.  They  appear  from  the  accounts  of 
various  writers  to  be  very  much  alike,  and  the  jay 
nature  no  more  than  magpie  depravity  is  to  be  com- 
mended. Dr.  Coues,  in  his  delightful  volume  enti- 
tled "  Birds  of  the  Northwest,"  has  shown  how  wide- 
spread is  our  antipathy  to  the  Cat-bird ;  my  own 
experience  leads  me  to  think  this  ill  feeling  is  more 
generally  shown  against  the  Blue  Jay,  the  one  spe- 
cies common  to  the  Middle  States.  Of  course  the 
bird  has  some  good  traits,  and  I  am  always  glad 
to  hear  his  hearty  call  through  the  autumn  woods ; 
and  the  occasional  sweet  flute-like  note  he  utters  is 
one  of  the  richest  of  our  bird  notes, — a  whole  bird 
concert  squeezed  into  a  single  note  that  comes  roll- 
ing down  the  narrow  pathway  through  the  woods. 


122  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

The  blue  jay  is  a  resident  bird,  and  a  thoroughly 
bad  one  as  we  see  bird-life ;  but  in  truth  what  the  jay 
does  openly  many  a  "  dear  innocent"  does  behind 
your  back.  There  is  a  smack  of  original  sin  in 
every  bird  that  flies.  I  have  seen  a  dove  with  red- 
hot  temper.  But  the  jay  goes  for  very 
little  himself,  and  when  he  eats  a  nestful  of 
song-thrushes  and  murders  rose-breasted 
grosbeaks,  I  am  ready  to  wage  a 
war  of  extermination. 

But  when  win- 
ter comes  and  the 
world     is    snow- 
bound we  forget  the  evil  deeds 
of   a   dead    summer,   and    the 
saucy    jays   sporting    in   the   bare   trees    are   truly 
welcome. 

The  blue  jay  builds  a  large  nest  of  coarse  sticks, 
and  seems  to  care  little  about  its  being  conspicuous, 
and  is  ready  to  defend  it,  as  I  can  testify.  I  under- 
took to  remove  a  young  bird  nearly  ready  to  fly, 
when  I  was  attacked  by  both  the  old  birds  and  struck 
not  only  by  their  wings,  but  pecked.  My  hat  pro- 
tected my  face,  but  one  hand  received  a  blow  on  the 
back  that  broke  the  skin.  For  days  I  had  watched 
this  pair  of  jays  to  see  if  young  birds  from  other  nests 
were  brought  as  food  for  their  own  young.  I  could 
not  determine  that  this  was  the  case,  and  was  glad  to 
find  that  they  did  bring  a  good  many  grasshoppers. 
My  field-glass  enabled  me  to  be  positive  of  this. 

The  Canada  Jay,  Whiskey  Jack,  or  Moose-bird,  is 
more  like  the  magpie  in  its  habits  and  has  none  of 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  123 

the  blue  jay's  beauty.  Those  who  have  seen  much 
of  this  bird  in  its  northern  home  find  a  great  deal  to 
tell  about  it,  but  the  reports  are  not  such  as  to  excite 
much  interest. 

Steller's  Jay  is  a  prominent  Western  species,  with 
habits  not  unlike  those  of  its  Eastern  cousin.  Dr. 
Coues  says  of  it,  "  It  is  difficult  to  describe  the 
notes  of  this  jay,  he  is  such  a  garrulous  creature 
and  has  such  a  variety  of  outcries."  And  again  he 
remarks,  "  it  will  eat  anything  eatable." 

J.  K.  Lord  says  of  it, — 

"  Steller's  Jay  makes  its  presence  known  by  the  continual  utterance 
of  a  discordant  scream ;  hopping  perpetually  from  bough  to  bough, 
then  darting  down  to  nip  an  insect,  performing  short,  erratic  flights, 
and  jerking  its  crest  of  bright  feathers  up  and  down,  its  noisy  song 
seems  everywhere.  The  Blue  Jay  appears  the  embodiment  of  rest- 
lessness, and  by  sheer  impudence  attracts  attention  from  even  the 
lone  hunter.  Fond  of  frequenting  the  haunts  of  man,  jays  are  always 
plentiful  near  Indian  lodges  or  white  men's  shanties.  By  no  means 
epicurean  in  tastes,  they  readily  devour  anything, — seeds,  salmon, 
grasshoppers,  or  venison.  The  nest,  artfully  concealed  amidst  the 
thick  foliage  of  a  young  pine-tree,  is  composed  of  moss,  small  twigs, 
lichen,  and  fir-fronds,  and  lined  with  deer  hair." 

The  habits  of  all  these  jays  differ  in  one  respect 
from  those  of  the  common  jay  of  the  Middle  States, 
for  the  latter  show  no  fancy  for  human  habitations. 
Extreme  weather  may  tempt  them  to  a  corn-crib, 
and  they  will  steal  very  cautiously  to  where  pigs 
have  been  slaughtered,  but  the  familiarity  so  marked 
in  other  species  I  have  never  known  to  be  exhibited 
by  the  blue  jay  of  the  Atlantic  seaboard  States. 

The  Raven,  that  has  figured  for  many  centuries  in 
literature  and  folk-lore,  and  is  looked  upon  with  sus- 


124  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

picion  by  all  people  other  than  naturalists,  is  an 
abundant  bird  in  the  West,  and  quite  rare  in  the  At- 
lantic seaboard  States,  except  in  scattered  localities 
immediately  on  the  coast  and  among  the  mountains. 


Raven. 

Some  years  ago  a  family  of  seven  ravens  had  their 
home  in  a  magnificent  cedar  and  holly  forest  on  the 
Jersey  coast.  Wandering  aimlessly  about, — it  was  in 
June, — I  came  upon  them  suddenly,  and  their  strange 
cries  were  thoroughly  weird  and  unbirdlike.  I 
thought  then  how  readily  they  might  be  considered 
as  words  of  any  spoken  language ;  and  later,  that 
same  day,  as  I  was  watching  the  storm-clouds  gath- 
ering over  the  ocean,  from  out  them  came  these  same 
ravens,  calling  aloud  as  they  approached  and  uttering 
cries  as  they  passed  over  my  head  and  made  for  their 
home  in  the  woods.  It  is  not  strange  that  supersti- 
tion has  invested  them  with  wickedness,  and  laid  at 
their  door  the  blame  for  many  a  misfortune. 

The  Western  White-necked  Raven  does  not  differ 
essentially  in  its  habits. 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  125 

It  would  seem  entirely  unnecessary  to  refer  to  the 
Crow.  Everybody  knows  the  bird  at  sight  and  sup- 
poses he  knows  the  details  of  its  mind,  body,  and 
estate,  but  here  "  everybody"  is  mistaken.  The  orni- 
thologist knows  this  bird,  but  the  public  do  not.  All 
that  can  be  said  against  it  is  rolled  like  a  sweet  morsel 
under  the  tongue,  but  who  has  spoken  in  its  favor  ? 
The  Farmers'  Clubs  throughout  the  land  and  State 
Legislatures  and  like  learned  bodies  may  declaim  and 
enact  as  they  see  fit,  but  the  truth  remains  the  truth. 
The  crow  is  a  useful  bird  in  spite  of  the  mischief  of 
which  it  is  guilty,  and  that  is  the  sum  and  substance 
of  the  whole  matter;  but  if  short-sighted  farmers 
will  persist  in  persecuting  these  birds,  and  probably 
they  will  to  the  end  of  time,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  they 
will  learn  to  discriminate  between  them  and  the  Fish- 
crow,  which  is  as  absolutely  harmless  as  a  swallow. 
They  are  a  Southern  species,  but  come  every  March 
into  the  Delaware  Valley  and  remain  until  Septem- 
ber. The  impression  that  they  come  and  go  with 
the  shad  and  herring  is  altogether  a  mistake.  Wil- 
son, who  first  made  known  this  species  to  naturalists, 
gives  an  account  of  their  gull-like  habits  as  he  saw 
them  in  the  South ;  but  here  in  the  Delaware  Valley 
they  are  more  crow-like  and  very  seldom  snatch 
floating  food  from  the  surface  of  the  water.  They 
are  not  shy,  and  after  the  hauling  of  the  seine  will 
come  very  near  to  the  fish-cabin  and  pick  up  such 
refuse  as  it  finds.  The  voice  of  this  crow  is  quite 
different  from  that  of  the  common  bird  and  yet  not 
easily  described.  The  two  must  be  compared  and 
then  they  will  be  readily  recognized.  The  bird  itself 
11* 


126  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

is  smaller,  measuring  about  sixteen  inches,  while  the 
common  crow  measures  eighteen  to  twenty  inches ; 
but  besides  this,  the  general  build  of  the  fish-crow  is 
more  slender,  and  the  wing-movement  varies  to  a 
more  gull-like  manner,  which  is  a  peculiarity  that 
we  readily  detect  when  familiar  with  the  bird. 

Florida,  California,  and  the  Northwest  each  have  a 
crow  of  their  own,  but  they  do  not  vary  in  appear- 
ance or  habits  greatly  from  the  typical  form  of  the 
East.  In  every  country  they  are  cunning  birds,  and 
it  is  probable  that  no  other  form  of  bird-life  has  ad- 
vanced so  far  as  have  these  crows  "  intellectually." 

In  the  "  higher  coniferous  forests  of  Western  North 
America,  north  to  Putnam  River,  Alaska,  south  to 
Arizona,  east  to  (and  including)  Rocky  Mountains," 
is  found  a  "  crow"  known  as  Clarke's  Nut-cracker. 

Dr.  Coues  says  of  it, — 

"  It  rarely  descends  below  an  altitude  of  3000  feet,  and  has  been 
observed  on  peaks  10,000  feet  high.  A  hardy  bird,  finding  its  food 
at  all  seasons,  Clarke's  Crow  is  not  a  true  migrant ;  that  is  to  say,  it 
does  not  move  north  and  south  at  regular  periods ;  ...  is  an  indis- 
criminate feeder  upon  vegetable  substances,  giving  preference,  how- 
ever, to  the  seeds  of  the  pine,  berries  of  the  cedar,  and  acorns." 

The  Bobolink,  Reed-bird,  Rice-bird,  Ortolan,  and 
I  know  not  what  else,  is  a  bird  that  is  thoroughly 
well  known.  Popular  literature  seems  better  fitted  to 
teach  ornithology  than  the  best  efforts  of  scientific 
naturalists.  "  Bobolink"  has  become  a  household 
word,  and  the  bird  has  been  pictured  until  every 
child  carries  it  in  his  "  reader"  or  knows  it  from  the 
dainty  pages  of  juvenile  books,  now,  happily,  a  feature 
of  every  home.  Bryant  has  made  "  bobolink"  classic, 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  127 

and  Thoreau  has  fixed  the  bird's  song  securely  in  our 
lasting  literature,  saying  of  these  birds  as  he  heard 
them  near  Concord,  "  and  the  meadow  is  all  bespat- 
tered with  melody."  Their  history  is  a  short  story : 
they  winter  in  the  south,  and  coming  north  in 
spring,  scatter  over  the  country,  nesting  for  the  most 
part  in  New  England  and  beyond ;  but  a  good  many 
hang  back  when  they  reach  the  Middle  States  and 
are  here  all  summer.  Then  the  males  are  black  and 
white,  or  appear  so,  and  are  full  of  song.  Certainly 
of  a  bright  May  morning  it  is  worth  a  long  walk  to 
hear  them.  This  song  as  summer  wanes  dwindles 
to  a  mere  "  chink,"  but  this  is  clear,  metallic,  and 
when  uttered  while  the  bird  is  flying  high  overhead 
can  be  heard  for  a  long  distance.  By  the  close  of 
summer,  too,  there  is  another  change,  and  the  bright 
black-and-white  suit  is  changed  to  a  yellow-brown 
one ;  and  now  the  birds  southward  bound  are  bobo- 
links no  longer,  but  reed-birds  until  they  reach  the 
Carolinas,  and  then  they  are  rice-birds.  The  poetry 
is  all  gone  when  the  birds  come  back  in  August : 
they  have  left  their  music  behind  them,  and  are  now 
so  prosy  that  the  melody  of  May  mornings  is  for- 
gotten and  we  are  ready  to  eat  the  little  fellows.  It 
is  hard  to  imagine  any  one  cruel  enough  to  harm  a 
bobolink  in  May,  but  it  is  more  difficult  to  imagine 
any  one  capable  of  resisting  in  September  a  reed-bird 
upon  toast. 

The  Cow-bird,  which  is  perhaps  best  known  as 
Sheep  Blackbird  and  sometimes  as  Cow-bunting,  is  a 
curious  creature.  The  male  bird  is  bronzed  and  dark 
blue,  and  has  some  animation  when  it  bubbles  over 


128  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

with  its  few  peculiarly  liquid  notes.  The  female  is  a 
nonentity  in  appearance,  and  would  be  in  fact,  were 
it  not  that  it  is  too  lazy,  too  ignorant,  or  too  awkward 
to  build  itself  a  nest  and  look  after  it,  but  having  an 
egg  to  dispose  of,  drops  it  in  the  nest  of  some  other 
bird  and  thinks  no  more  about  it.  It  puts  one  a  little 
out  of  patience  with  evolution  that  any  victim  of  the 
cow-bird  should  be  willing  to  accept  the  situation, 
and  not  only  hatch  but  rear  the  foundling.  A  single 
year's  protest  would  annihilate  the  species,  and  they 
would  never  be  missed.  This  is  a  little  hard  on 
them,  perhaps,  but,  seen  at  any  time  and  under  any 
circumstances,  they  can  hardly  be  considered  as  in- 
teresting, unless  it  is  in  autumn  when  they  congre- 
gate in  quite  large  flocks,  and  if  the  day  be  windy 
they  seem  to  be  blown  about  like  a  windrow  of  dead 
leaves.  They  are  migratory  after  a  fashion,  coming 
in  March  and  sometimes  quite  early  in  the  month, 
and  are  often  in  the  low  meadows  along  the  Dela- 
ware River  as  late  as  the  middle  of  November.  In- 
deed, Indian  summer  seems  to  be  a  favorite  time 
with  them,  and  they  have  an  amount  of  animation 
then  that  seems  unnatural,  a  sort  of  intoxication. 

In  the  Southwest  this  bird  is  replaced  by  the 
"  Bronzed  Cow-bird,"  which  seems  a  strange  distinc- 
tion, as  our  Eastern  bird,  in  spring  at  least,  is  about 
as  "  bronzy"  as  it  well  can  be. 

In  Western  North  America,  in  marshes,  east,  regu- 
larly to  Wisconsin,  Illinois,  Kansas,  and  Texas,  we 
have  the  Yellow-headed  Blackbird.  It  is  "  acci- 
dental" in  Pennsylvania,  and  even  gets  as  far  away 
from  home  as  Massachusetts. 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  129 

Bonaparte  states, — 

"The  Yellow-headed  Troopials  assemble  in  dense  flocks,  which, 
in  all  their  varied  movements  and  evolutions,  present  appearances 
similar  to  those  of  the  Red-winged,  which  have  been  so  well  de- 
scribed by  Wilson.  They  are  much  on  the  ground  like  the  Cow 
Troopial  (Cow-bunting  of  Wilson) ;  on  dissection,  their  stomachs 
have  been  found  filled  with  fragments  of  small  insects,  which  seem 
to  constitute  their  chief  food,  though  doubtless  they  also  feed  on 
vegetable  substances.  Their  notes  resemble  those  of  the  Red-winged 
Troopial,  but  are  more  musical.  The  range  of  the  Yellow-headed 
Troopial  is  very  extensive,  as  it  is  found  from  Cayenne  to  the  river 
Missouri ;  although  it  passes  far  north  in  the  western  region,  yet  it 
does  not  visit  the  settled  parts  of  the  United  States." 

The  Red-winged  Blackbird  is  almost  as  well  known 
as  the  crow.  Whether  in  early  spring  it  is  the  pair 
that  have  their  nest  in  the  wet  meadow  and  the  male 
singing  con-que-rTe  from  dawn  till  dark,  or  it  is  some 
huge  flock  in  autumn  that  literally,  for  an  instant, 
blots  out  the  sun,  it  is  the  same  familiar  blackbird 
that  fills  a  place  in  every  country  landscape.  Like 
the  crow,  it  would  be  sadly  missed  if  exterminated, 
not  only  for  the  pleasure  it  affords,  but  because  of  the 
great  good  it  accomplishes.  I  am  speaking  now  of 
the  Middle  States.  It  is  a  veritable  pest  in  the  South 
when  in  "  clouds"  it  settles  upon  the  rice-fields,  in 
this  respect  equalling  the  destructiveness  of  the  reed- 
birds  ;  but  here  in  the  Delaware  Valley  the  conditions 
are  all  different.  The  red-wings  are  seen  even  in  win- 
ter in  scattered  flocks  of  a  few  individuals.  In  March 
these  flocks  grow  larger  and  there  are  many  more  of 
them.  Then  the  day  of  breaking  flock  and  mating 
comes,  and  with  it  comes  the  scattering  of  sweet  song 
all  over  the  country.  Certainly  there  is  music  in  the 
blackbird  at  this  time. 


130  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

"  Why  chidest  thou  the  tardy  spring? 
The  hardy  bunting  does  not  chide ; 
The  blackbirds  make  the  maples  ring 
With  social  cheer  and  jubilee; 
The  red-wing  flutes  his  o-ka-lee" 

and,  fluting  it,  blots  out  all  the  disaster  that  winter 
has  wrought.  There  is  no  early  spring-tide  note  so 
full  of  summer ;  none  that  warms  the  landscape  so 
much  and  tempers  the  March  winds  till  they  are 
softened  to  a  zephyr.  Few  suspect  the  magic  of  a 
wild  bird's  note,  but  finding  it,  the  world  is  tinted  in 
more  glowing  colors. 

There  is  a  brief  interim  in  summer  when  the  red- 
wings are  but  seldom  seen.  Not  that  they  really  leave 
us,  but  young  and  old  wander  off,  and  I  never  traced 
their  wanderings  ;  but  in  September  they  are  all  back, 
and  now,  congregated  in  great  flocks,  they  resort  to 
the  long  reaches  of  marshy  meadows  along  the  river. 
Here  I  have  seen  them  literally  by  the  thousands ; 
and  when  they  are  joined,  as  sometimes  happens,  by 
flocks  of  rusty  grakles  from  the  north  and  the  crow- 
blackbirds  of  the  neighborhood,  there  is  a  tumult  of 
voices  that  cannot  be  described.  I  have  seen  an  acre 
of  marsh  black  with  birds ;  so  black  that  the  vegeta- 
tion could  only  be  seen  as  mere  narrow  ribbons  of 
light  brown.  This  does  not  last  long,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  flocking  is  to  migrate,  and  before  the  weather 
becomes  cold  or  very  stormy  the  greater  number  of 
these  huge  flocks  have  passed  southward,  but  not  all. 
I  never  knew  a  winter  too  cold  for  them,  and  about 
open  water,  in  meadows  with  bottom  springs,  and 
sheltered  reedy  nooks  in  woodland  tracts  a  few  are 


BALTIMORE  ORIOLE. 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  131 

sure  to  be  found ;  and  when  there  are  warm,  sunny 
days,  though  it  is  midwinter,  they  seek  out  their 
spring-tide  haunts  and  the  males  sing  as  merrily  as 
in  April. 

The  Western  varieties  are  pretty  much  the  same. 
Dr.  Coues  mentions  the  "  Tricolors  flocking  in  vast 
numbers."  These  appear  to  be  a  much  tamer  bird 
than  our  Eastern  form,  as  he  speaks  of  them  as  throng- 
ing the  streets  of  a  town,  which  is  not  a  habit  of  our 
bird,  for  I  never  yet  saw  a  Jersey  village  so  small  and 
so  sleepy  that  red-wings  would  venture  into  its  single 
street  to  forage.  In  this  they  are  unlike  the  grakles, 
(to  be  considered),  for  they  will  come  into  large  towns 
and  even  nest  in  trees  a  little  off  much-travelled 
streets. 

At  first  glance  it  would  not  appear  that  red- winged 
blackbirds  and  meadow-larks  had  anything  in  com- 
mon, and  yet  they  are  really  much  alike  in  some 
respects ;  so  much  so  that  at  one  time  of  the  year 
they  are  closely  associated.  They  breed  in  the  same 
meadows,  but  build  very  different  nests ;  the  black- 
bird's being  in  tufts  of  coarse  grass  or  tangled  vines 
off  the  ground,  while  the  meadow-lark  builds  on  or 
in  the  ground,  depending  upon  the  long  grass  to 
conceal  it;  but  while  there  are  eggs  or  young  to 
look  after  the  two  birds  are  much  together  and  sing 
constantly,  the  lark  usually  climbing  to  the  top  of  a 
tree  rather  than  contenting  itself  with  a  fence-post, 
and  there  whistling  clearly  "/  see  you— you  can't  see 
me"  and  it  takes  sharp  eyes  to  make  him  out,  as  the 
bird  seems  to  study  a  position  that  makes  him  one 
with  the  leaves. 


132  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

Wilson  says, — 

"  Though  this  well-known  species  cannot  boast  of  the  powers  of 
song  which  distinguish  that  "  harbinger  of  day,"  the  Skylark  of 
Europe,  yet  in  richness  of  plumage  as  well  as  in  sweetness  of  voice 
(as  far  as  his  few  notes  extend)  he  stands  eminently  its  superior." 

Of  course  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  meadow- 
"  lark"  is  not  a  lark  at  all,  but  allied  to  the  red-wings 
and  reed-bird  on  the  one  hand  and  orioles  on  the 
other.  It  does  not  seem  to  me  that  Nuttall  does  our 
bird  justice  in  the  matter  of  its  song. 

The  Western  Meadow-lark,  which  is  now  consid- 
ered but  a  variety,  has  a  much  sweeter  and  more 
varied  song,  and  those  who  have  heard  it  are  inclined 
to  believe  that  it  is  a  difference  having  true  specific 


significance.  On  the  other  hand,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  the  difference  among  birds  in  the  same 
flock  in  the  Middle  States  is  very  marked,  and  occa- 
sionally, when  we  have  a  peculiarly  bright,  sparkling 
May  morning,  the  meadow-larks  will  be  roused  to 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  133 

unwonted  animation  and  sing  far  beyond  their  usual 
score  of  half  a  dozen  notes. 

According  to  Ridgway's  Manual,  we  have  six 
Orioles.  Two  of  these  are  well-known  Eastern  birds, 
the  others  Western  and  Southwestern.  The  habits  of 
the  group  are  much  alike  wherever  the  birds  are 
found,  the  variations  such  as  the  immediate  sur- 
roundings have  necessitated  or  suggested. 

In  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States  everybody  is 
familiar  with  the  Baltimore  Oriole.  The  bright 
orange-and-black  plumage,  the  penetrating  whistle, 
and  pendent  nests  are  of  themselves  sufficient  to 
make  the  birds  very  conspicuous,  but  when  we  con- 
sider that  they  are  fond  of  the  proximity  of  man 
(strange  taste)  and  often  build  their  homes  over- 
hanging busy  village  streets,  it  is  no  wonder  that 
everybody  knows  the  bird  as  he  does  our  street  spar- 
rows, and  has  given  it  a  long  list  of  ridiculous  names, 
as  "  Fire-robin,"  "  Hang-nest,"  and  "  Golden-gab- 
bler." The  song  naturally  commands  attention  be- 
cause of  its  shrill  notes,  that  are  so  fife-like  as  to 
produce  an  unpleasant  sensation.  Then,  again,  there 
is  a  long,  varied  series  of  pleasing  notes  that  are  really 
charming,  but  in  constant  danger  of  being  spoiled  by 
the  introduction  of  discordant  shrieks. 

Much  has  been  written  of  the  oriole's  nest,  and 
certainly  it  is  the  most  conspicuous  of  the  nests 
found  in  our  woods.  It  is  a  long,  narrow  bag,  that 
is  securely  fastened  to  a  pendent  branch  of  an  elm 
or  willow  usually,  and  made  of  such  materials  as  can 
be  readily  woven  into  a  coarse  fabric. 

If  you  offer  the  birds  bright-colored  yarns  they 


134  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

will  not  put  them  on  the  outside  of  the  nest ;  but  the 
whole  structure  is  less  elaborate  now  than  formerly. 
They  are  more  like  cups  suspended  by  the  rims  than 
cylinders.  This,  it  has  been  suggested,  has  come 
about  from  the  fact  that  long,  slender  nests  conceal- 
ing the  sitting  bird  and  inaccessibly  placed  are  now 
not  needed  for  safety,  the  birds  so  generally  nesting 
near  our  houses,  where  their  natural  enemies  are  not 
found.  I  have  seen  one  nest  in  an  elm-tree  but 
twelve  feet  from  the  ground  and  overhanging  a  part 
of  a  farm-yard  where  there  was  constant  passing  and 
repassing.  When,  on  the  other  hand,  you  occasion- 
ally find  a  nest  in  a  lonely  spot  away  from  any  human 
habitation,  there  you  will  find  the  more  elaborate 
structure,  and  placed  where  it  cannot  be  reached  ex- 
cept by  the  birds  themselves. 

A  few  days  after  the  first  appearance  of  the  Balti- 
more orioles  there  comes  to  the  same  places,  and 
prances  about  in  the  same  lively  manner,  a  dull- 
colored  black  and  red-brown  bird  that  we  know  at 
once  is  an  oriole,  but  not  the  Baltimore.  To  my  mind 
he  is  a  great  improvement  over  his  gaudy  and  noisy 
cousin.  Fine  feathers  do  not  always  make  a  fine  bird. 

Its  song  has  as  many  notes  as  the  Baltimore,  and 
none  of  them  on  the  factory-whistle  order.  There 
is  just  the  difference  between  the  song  of  the  Orchard 
Oriole  and  that  of  the  Baltimore  as  between  smooth- 
ness and  roughness,  as  between  the  rattle  of  stones 
and  the  gliding  of  water  over  them.  We  would  miss 
the  Baltimore  in  summer,  but  it  would  be  something 
like  missing  the  bore  we  expected ;  not  to  have  the 
orchard  oriole  would  be  a  deprivation. 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS.  135 

The  orchard  oriole's  nest  is  of  simpler  construction 
than  that  of  the  other  species.  Some  that  I  have 
found  were  made  wholly  of  pine-needles,  and  were 
placed  in  the  upper  branches  of  tall  Weymouth  pines. 
Other  nests  in  deciduous  trees  were  made  wholly  of 
flexible  grasses  neatly  interwoven,  but  all  were  cups, 
and  not  deep  at  that. 

During  the  summer  the  birds  are  not  associated, 
although  I  have  known  an  "  Orchard"  and  a  "  Balti- 
more" to  have  nests  in  the  same  tree ;  but  the  young 
of  the  former  and  of  the  latter  are  found  together 
prior  to  their  autumnal  flight  to  warmer  regions. 

The  Rusty  Grakle,  or  Blackbird,  is  a  migrant  only 
in  the  Middle  States,  coming  in  March  and  reappear- 
ing in  October,  and  in  the  latter  month  we  can  always 
find  an  abundance  of  them  in  the  tide-water  marshes 
of  the  Delaware.  Their  summer  home  is  in  Northern 
New  England  and  Canada. 

Brewer's  Blackbird  is  a  Western  species  found  from 
"  Eastern  Kansas  and  Minnesota  to  the  Pacific." 

Dr.  Coues  says  of  them, — 

"  Several  kinds  of  Blackbirds  are  abundant  in  Arizona,  but  the 
present  surpasses  them  all  in  numbers.  .  .  .  They  are  eminently 
gregarious  when  not  breeding." 

We  have  now  to  briefly  consider  a  bird  as  familiar 
to  us  all  as  the  crow,  and  that  is  the  Crow-blackbird, 
or  preferably  the  Purple  Grakle.  They  are  both 
resident  and  migratory  in  the  Middle  States  and  resi- 
dent southward.  In  New  England  the  bird  appears 
to  be  replaced  by  the  Bronzed  Grakle  that  is  found 
west  of  the  Alleghanies.  The  Grakle  of  the  Middle 
States  is  purple  when  seen  in  the  hand,  and  has  an 


136  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

ivory-white  eye  that  is  very  beautiful.  When  seen 
at  a  distance  the  bird  appears  of  a  uniform  jetty 
black.  Judging  from  the  accounts  of  the  earlier 
writers,  they  are  not  as  abundant  now  as  in  the  early 
years  of  the  century.  Wilson  speaks  of  a  flock  of 
one  hundred  thousand  birds.  This  is  several  points 
better  than  any  recent  experience  can  show.  In 
early  spring  the  grakles  appear  in  little  colonies,  and 
choosing  a  cluster  of  trees  that  offers  security,  they 
build  many  nests  in  close  proximity ;  and  the  care 
exercised  in  keeping  their  voracious  offspring  sup- 
plied with  food  shows  how  devoted  they  are  to  their 
own  flesh  and  blood.  From  early  morning  until  it  is 
quite  dark  the  parent  birds  pass  out  into  the  fields, 
and  soon  return  with  a  grasshopper  or  fat  grub,  and 
then  out  again  for  more.  This  is  kept  up  with  a 
regularity  that  is  interesting  for  several  reasons.  I 
have  often  timed  them,  and  the  period  of  absence 
from  the  nest  is  remarkably  uniform.  Having  de- 
termined how  many  insects  are  brought  to  the  nest  in 
a  given  ten  minutes,  a  very  close  calculation  can  be 
made  as  to  the  amount  of  food  consumed  in  a  "  day" 
of  about  ten  hours.  It  needs  no  slaughtering  of  scores 
of  birds  to  determine  such  facts  as  these,  and  I  am 
not  sure  if  the  eyes  are  not  better  than  the  shot-gun 
to  determine  the  feeding  habits  of  nearly  all  our 
birds.  That  grakles  pull  up  sprouting  corn  can 
hardly  be  questioned,  but  if  the  corn  be  tarred  they 
leave  it  alone,  and  while  walking  between  the  rows 
they  feed  upon  cutworms  innumerable.  The  doleful 
accounts  of  the  destruction  of  the  corn  crop  by  these 
birds,  as  given  by  Wilson  and  repeated  by  Nuttall, 


PURPLE  GRAKLES. 


THE  PERCHING  BIRDS. 


137 


are  ancient  history,  at  least  here  in  the  Middle 
States. 

It  is  a  pleasant  thing  to  hear  these  grakles  twang 
their  loose-strung  harps.  They  slightly  uplift  their 
wings,  spread  their  boat-shaped  tails,  and  then  utter 
the  strange  sound  that  is  neither  song  nor  chirp,  but 
a  metallic  and  sibilant  sound  combined. 

At  times  these  birds  may  be  said  to  be  quite 
aquatic  in  their  habits.  They  run  along  the  river- 
shore  hunting  food  of  every  kind,  for  all  is  good 
grain  that  comes  to  their  grist-mill,  and  have  the 
same  teetering  walk  and  tilting  of  the  tail  as  the 
sand-pipers  exhibit  when  they  walk  upon  the  beach ; 
but  the  grakles  are  good  swimmers  as  well,  and  often 
light  upon  the  water,  swim  a  short  distance,  and  rise 
up  as  easily  as  a  duck ;  and,  too,  they  can  dip  down 
gracefully  and  seize  a  morsel  of  food  thrown  over 
from  a  passing  steamboat. 


Nest  of  Acadian  Flycatcher. 
12* 


138  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE   GOATSUCKERS,    ETC. 

AND  what  now  of  that  curious  bird  the  Whip- 
poorwill  ?  It  is  migratory,  and  the  Delaware 
Tndians  said  it  was  not  safe  to  plant  corn  in  the  Dela- 
ware Valley  until  these  birds  had  arrived ;  after  that 
there  would  be  no  frost.  And  so  now  it  is  thor- 
oughly delightful  to  hear  for  the  first  time,  early  in 
May,  the  song  or  cry  of  this  bird,  feeling  assured 
that  there  will  be  no  more  frost.  Without  any  inti- 
mation of  its  coming,  as  if  it  had  dropped  from  the 
clouds,  this  bird  finds  a  secluded  nook  in  the  wood- 
lands, and  while  it  is  yet  day  sits  as  motionless  as 
the  lichen-patches  that  it  so  much  resembles  ;  but  as 
the  sun  goes  down  and  the  dim  uncertain  light  of 
the  gloaming  prevails,  the  bird  is  roused  to  activity, 
and  then  it  is,  calls  out  with  ceaseless  repetition  whip- 
poor-will,  whip-poor-will.  A  pleasant  sound  at  first, 
but  as  the  summer  wears  away  becomes  intolerably 
monotonous. 

The  whippoorwill  does  not  enter  the  Delaware 
Valley  earlier  than  May  r,  so  far  as  I  have  noticed, 
and  remains  until  October ;  but  during  the  close  of 
its  summer  sojourn  is  more  likely  to  be  seen  than 
heard,  for  as  the  day  closes  it  occasionally  flits  through 
the  air,  and  night  after  night  passes  without  their 
uttering  their  monotonous  refrain.  During  the  day 


THE  GOATSUCKERS,  ETC. 


139 


they  squat  closely  at  the  side  of  a  prostrate  log  or 
on  it,  but  of  late  I  have  found  horizontal  branches 
of  old  apple-trees  to  be  favorite  places,  the  dense 
shade  of  an  orchard  where  the  branches  of  the  trees 
interlock  being  nicely  suited  to  their  needs  and  re- 
placing the  shade  of  the  forest  primeval,  now  a  thing 
of  the  past. 

The  nest  is  placed  on  the  ground,  if  a  little  de- 
pression among  dead  leaves  can  be  called  a  nest,  and 
therein  are  laid  two  speckled  eggs.  The  young  are 
absurdly-shaped  mud-colored  balls  when  hatched, 
but  very  soon  have  their  wits  about  them  and  move 
with  much  freedom  before  they  learn  to  fly.  The 
old  birds  at  this  time  are  excellent  actors  and  can 
play  the  wounded  bird  to 
perfection ;  but  do  not  flat- 
ter yourself  that  you  can 
pick  them  up.  They  may 
appear  to  be  at  your  fin- 
gers' ends,  but  are  sure 
to  be  out  of  reach. 

In  very  many  respects 
the  Night-hawk  is  a  very 
different  bird  from  the 
whippoorwill ;  certainly  it 
is  more  active,  even  di- 
urnal as  well  as  crepus- 
cular, and  has  no  tiresome 
"  song."  It  comes  about 
the  same  time  of  year,  and 
stays  as  long,  or  perhaps  a  week  or  two  later,  a  good 
deal  depending  upon  the  character  of  the  weather. 


Night-hawk. 


140  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

Like  the  whippoorwill,  it  lays  its  eggs  directly  on 
the  ground  (sometimes  on  the  flat  roofs  of  houses) 
and  particularly  in  open  stony  pastures  with  a  south- 
ern outlook. 

In  August  and  later  they  seem  attracted  to  towns 
and  their  immediate  neighborhood,  and  often  dart 
down  into  the  streets  as  familiarly  as  a  chimney- 
swift.  Late  in  the  summer  they  seem  to  be  almost 
gregarious,  and  sometimes  a  hundred  or  more  will 
be  at  one  time  in  sight.  They  are  now  migrating. 

The  Chuck-will's-widow  is  a  Southern  species 
that  does  not  venture  north  of  Virginia.  Its  habits 
are  essentially  those  of  the  whippoorwill,  the  differ- 
ence in  the  "  song,"  as  indicated  by  the  bird's  common 
name,  being  the  most  marked  variation.  Taken  to- 
gether, these  are  three  most  curious  birds,  and  it  is 
not  strange  that  considerable  superstition  is  con- 
nected with  them  in  the  minds  of  unlearned  people. 

There  are  four  Swifts  in  the  United  States,  allied 
in  habits  and  familiar  through  their  abundance  to  the 
people  of  the  districts  they  inhabit.  In  the  Eastern 
or  Atlantic  seaboard  States  the  omnipresent  Chimney- 
swallow  is  known  to  every  one.  It  is  a  migratory  bird, 
coming  early  in  spring  and  staying  until  late.  The 
statement  of  Nuttall  that  they  all  disappear  about  the 
first  week  in  August  is  now  quite  an  error  and  prob- 
ably a  slip  of  the  pen.  Warren  records  them  as  late 
as  October  20,  and  I  have  seen  them  as  late  as  No- 
vember 10.  Their  coming  is  fairly  regular,  and  when 
here  they  at  once  settle  into  the  routine  that  seems 
to  us  outsiders  fearfully  tiresome.  They  select  their 
chimney  (or  a  hollow  tree  in  remote,  unsettled  places), 


THE  GOATSUCKERS,  ETC.  141 

and  soon  after  make  a  nest  of  little  twigs  glued  to- 
gether securely  against  the  bricks.  They  are  busy 
enough  when  they  have  but  themselves  to  feed,  but 
a  little  later,  when  the  eggs  are  hatched,  they  have 
more  than  double  duty  to  perform,  and  from  very 
early  morning  until  very  late  at  night  they  zigzag  the 
air  with  tireless,  rapid  wing,  and  dart  every  few 
minutes  into  the  chimney  to  feed  the  young  birds. 
Perhaps  they  do  get  tired  at  times,  for  I  have  fancied 
they  twitter  less  constantly  then  than  in  August  or 
September  when  the  young  can  take  care  of  them- 
selves,— there  are  two  broods, — and  it  is  during  clear 
September  sunny  afternoons  and  after  sundown  that 
these  swifts  show  us  what  flight  really  means.  They 
have  aerial  races  then,  generally  three  joining  in  the 
sport,  and  the  celerity  with  which  they  dash  down  the 
pathless  highways  of  the  upper  air  is  simply  marvel- 
lous, and  the  faster  they  fly  the  louder  they  twitter. 
The  food  of  these  birds  is,  of  course,  insects,  and 
the  number  they  destroy  in  the  course  of  a  season  is 
simply  incalculable. 

Early  in  May,  when  we  begin  to  look  for  wild 
flowers  in  abundance  and  the  fruit-trees  are  in  bloom, 
the  Humming-bird  suddenly  puts  in  an  appearance 
and  adds  a  charm  to  the  landscape  that  remains  until 
October  I.  They  feed  upon  small  insects  and  not 
wholly  upon  nectar,  as  is  popularly  supposed,  and  yet 
sweets  are  not  by  any  means  unacceptable.  They  are 
hot-headed  little  fellows  and  fight  most  fiercely  at 
times,  even  occasionally  with  fatal  results.  They  are 
not  exactly  gregarious  and  yet  a  good  many  will  be 
found  together.  My  study  window  that  I  at  present 


142  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

occupy  is  directly  upon  a  village  street.  On  the 
stone  wall  there  is  a  trumpet-creeper  that  has  grown 
about  and  above  the  sill,  and  when  this  fine  old- 
fashioned  vine  is  in  bloom  there  is  no  dearth  of 
humming-birds.  They  come  and  go  continually 
while  the  sun  shines,  and  the  sound  of  their  wings 
and  funny  squeaky  voices  is  almost  continuous. 


THE  WOODPECKERS.  143 


CHAPTER    VI. 

THE   WOODPECKERS. 

AS  a  class  the  Woodpeckers  live  on  trees  and  find 
their  food  by  hunting  the  insect-life  that  lurks 
beneath  the  bark.  They  can  run  over  an  upright 
trunk  of  a  tree  with  great  rapidity,  and  move,  too,  in 
a  sidewise  manner  that  is  as  quick  as  direct  upward 
travel.  They  are  not  given  to  clinging,  head  down- 
ward, to  the  trees  as  does  the  nuthatch,  but  it  is  by 
no  means  an  impossible  position  for  them  to  assume. 
Their  beaks  are  solid,  sharp,  and  so  fashioned  that 
wood  may  be  readily  cut  away,  and  this  work  so 
frequently  indulged  in  has  given  rise  to  the  common 
name,  woodpecker.  They  nest  in  trees,  cutting  a 
deep  hole  in  living  or  dead  wood  as  they  see  fit,  and 
without  any  lining  other  than  a  few  fine  chips  in  the 
very  bottom  of  the  excavation,  lay  therein  a  few  pure 
white  eggs.  So  fond  are  they  of  working  in  wood 
that  they  sometimes  make  elaborate  nests  in  mid- 
winter, and  abandon  them  without  so  much  as  once 
resting  there  overnight. 

As  musicians,  some  of  them  are  excellent  drum- 
mers, but  as  vocalists,  not  one  of  our  United  States 
species  is  a  success.  They  can  call,  squeak,  squeal, 
and  splutter,  but  I  know  of  no  other  utterance  not 
described  by  these  forbidding  terms.  But  as  drum- 
mers they  claim  our  attention.  There  come  in  course 


144  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

of  time  late  autumn  days  when  the  leafless  woods  are 
silent.  There  is  the  warm  sunshine  on  the  forest 
floor,  there  is  the  lingering  green  of  holly  and  cedar, 
but  the  day  is  dead.  Not  even  the  brilliant  scarlet 
and  golden  berries  of  the  bitter-sweet  tempts  any  bird. 
It  is  all  the  bitterness  of  loneliness, — nothing  of  the 
sweet  of  company.  The  beauty  of  the  Indian  sum- 
mer has  led  you  out  into  a  deserted  world,  and  every 
thought  is  tinged  with  melancholy.  You  are  ready 
almost  at  the  outset  to  return,  when  suddenly,  afar 
off,  there  is  a  rapid  drumming.  A  low  but  resonant 
note  fills  the  woods.  The  life  you  hoped  to  see  and 
hear  is  returning.  Listen  !  The  loud  chirps  of  hid- 
den sparrows  are  a  response.  The  woodpecker  again 
and  more  violently  beats  his  drum,  and  now  a  sleepy 
cardinal  awakes  and  sounds  a  few  clear  fife-like 
notes  in  reply.  When  this  has  been  your  experience, 
as  it  has  so  often  been  mine,  you  will  learn  to  love 
the  music  of  even  a  woodpecker. 

The  largest  and  most  superb  of  all  the  tribe  is  the 
rare  Ivory-billed  Woodpecker,  that  is  now  found  only 
in  "  restricted  localities  in  the  Gulf  States  (including 
Florida)  and  lower  Mississippi  Valley."  The  prob- 
abilities are  that  it  will  soon  be  extinct,  so  far  as  the 
United  States  is  concerned.  It  is  too  handsome  not 
to  tempt  every  collector,  taxidermist,  and  millinery 
establishment  in  the  country,  and  he  who  protests 
will  be  laughed  at  for  his  trouble. 

In  the  Middle  States  and  northward  we  have,  all 
the  year  round,  two  little  woodpeckers  known  as  the 
"  Hairy"  and  "  Downy,"  and  more  usually  in  the 
country  they  are  called  "  Sapsuckers,"  from  the  prev- 


THE  WOODPECKERS.  145 

alent  notion  that  the  sap  of  trees,  in  season,  supplies 
them  with  the  bulk  of  their  nourishment.  We  will 
return  to  this  subject  again.  The  "  Hairy"  is  the 
larger  of  these  two  species,  being  about  nine  inches 
in  length,  while  the  "  Downy"  is  but  little  over  six 
inches  long.  So  far  as  my  personal  observation  goes, 
it  is  not  as  abundant  anywhere  as  the  "  Downy,"  and 
wholly  absent  from  many  wide  tracts  within  its  gen- 
eral range.  It  is  a  bird  of  timber  land  and  not  of 
the  open  country,  and  shows  little  disposition  to 
accommodate  itself  to  a  new  order  of  things.  Cut 
down  your  trees  and  they  will  go  to  some  more  (to 
them)  hospitable  region.  Wilson  speaks  of  the  hairy 
woodpecker  as  a  lover  of  orchards,  but  when  Wilson 
wrote  it  was  not  so  long  a  journey  from  an  orchard 
to  a  woodland  tract. 

But  the  little  downy  woodpecker  is  everywhere. 
There  is  not  a  tree  too  small  for  it  to  consider,  and 
when  trees  fail  altogether,  it  will  climb  over  an  old 
grape-arbor  and  be  happy  in  so  artificial  a  surround- 
ing. They  come  fearlessly  into  town  and  visit  every 
shade  tree  in  the  streets,  and  have  been  seen  to  peck 
at  a  fly  on  the  wrong  side  of  a  window-pane. 

When  the  warm  weather  fairly  sets  in,  a  pair  of 
these  little  woodpeckers  will  hollow  out  a  commodi- 
ous nest  in  a  dead  tree  and  rear  a  brood  that  seem 
to  be  hungrier  than  most  babies,  considering  the 
amount  of  food  the  parent  birds  carry  to  them. 

Nuttall  says, — 

"  These  birds  have  a  shrill  cackle  and  a  reiterated  call,  which  they 
frequently  utter  while  engaged  in  quest  of  their  prey.     In  the  au- 
tumn they  feed  on  various  kinds  of  berries  as  well  as  insects." 
G         k  13 


146  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

I  have  seen  them  in  winter  bore  into  apples  that 
were  dried  up  and  very  hard,  as  I  considered  them, 
to  get  at  the  seeds,  but  never  could  determine  whether 
they  drank  what  little  juice  there  might  be  left  in  the 
fruit.  Very  often  their  efforts  would  dislodge  the 
apple,  and  I  never  knew  them  to  follow  it  to  the 
ground.  An  open  squirrel-nest  is  sometimes  visited 
in  autumn,  and  the  scattered  white  grubs  that  are 
among  the  accumulated  shells  of  the  nuts  are,  I  sup- 
pose, the  attraction.  When  deep  snows  cover  the 
ground — not  a  feature  of  recent  winters — these  little 
woodpeckers  will  come  to  the  barns  and  stables  and 
seek  shelter  and  food  there.  I  have  found  them  at 
times  in  cow-sheds  and  apparently  weak  from  ex- 
posure and  hunger,  at  least  they  were  remarkably 
tame.  Vegetable  food  under  such  conditions  seemed 
very  acceptable. 

The  Red-cockaded  Woodpecker  is  a  Southern  bird, 
discovered  by  Wilson  in  North  Carolina,  and  it  is 
said  to  occasionally  wander  as  far  up  the  coast  as 
New  Jersey,  and  one  or  two  examples  collected  near 
Philadelphia  have  been  preserved. 

The  Arctic  Three-toed  Woodpeckers,  on  the  other 
hand,  are,  as  the  name  indicates,  Northern  species 
that  do  not  wander  as  far  south  as  the  Middle  States. 
Of  course  there  are  a  few  exceptions  to  all  such 
rules,  perhaps  a  good  many  more  than  we  are  will- 
ing to  admit,  but  it  is  quite  true  that  visits  to  the  col- 
lections of  local  collectors  sometimes  prove  "  eye- 
openers"  to  the  professional  ornithologist. 

In  the  Northwest  they  are  common.  Dr.  Cooper 
found  them 


THE  WOODPECKERS. 


147 


"  quite  numerous  about  Lake  Tahoe.  ...  At  the  lake  they  were 
quite  fearless,  coming  close  to  the  hotel  and  industriously  tapping  the 
trees  in  the  early  morning  and  evening.  ...  I  noticed  their  burrows 
in  low  pine-trees.  ...  I  found  them  silent  birds,  though  probably 
in  the  spring  they  have  a  great  variety  of  calls." 

J.  K.  Lord  records, — 

"  Both  when  on  the  wing  and  when  clinging  against  a  tree  it  con- 
tinually utters  a  shrill,  plaintive  cry.  Its  favorite  tree  appears  to  be 
the  Pinus  contorta,  which  grows  at  great  altitudes.  I  do  not  think 
this  woodpecker  is  found  (in  British  Columbia)  except  on  the  hill- 
tops. " 

The  Yellow-bellied  Sapsucker  is  a  migratory  bird, 
and  seen  in  the 
Middle  States 
usually  only  in 
the  spring  and 
autumn;  but 
there  are  bits  of 
territory  in  these 
States  wherein 
the  bird  is  accus- 
tomed to  remain 
all  summer  and 
breed.  There  has 
been  much  dis- 
cussion concern- 
ing the  habits  of 
this  peculiar  bird, 
for  its  anatomy  is 
not  that  of  other  woodpeckers  in  some  respects. 
That  it  is  capable  of  doing  an  immense  deal  of 
harm  to  trees  and  does  do  it  seems  fully  demon- 
strated, and  although  a  great  insect-destroyer,  this 


Yellow-bellied 
Sapsucker. 


Red-headed 
Woodpecker. 


148  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

is  no  adequate  return  for  the  damage  of  which  it  is 
the  author. 

Montague  Chamberlain,  in  a  note  to  Nuttall's  ac- 
count of  this  bird  in  his  (Chamberlain's)  edition  of 
Nuttall,  says,— 

"  The  '  sapsucking'  habit  of  this  species,  denied  by  some,  .  .  .  has 
been  established  by  (the  late)  Mr.  Frank  Bolles. 

"  For  several  days  Mr.  Bolles  almost  continuously  watched  a  num- 
ber of  these  birds  while  they  operated  on  trees,  .  .  .  maple-,  oak-, 
birch-,  and  ash-trees,  and  drank  the  sap  as  it  dripped  from  these  holes. 
When  one  set  of  holes  became  'dry'  others  were  drilled,  eight  to 
sixteen  on  each  tree,  the  new  holes  being  made  higher  up  than  the 
old.  Some  of  the  birds  spent  about  nine-tenths  of  the  time  in  drink- 
ing sap." 

In  the  face  of  such  facts  it  is  difficult  to  find  any 
reason  for  not  exterminating  such  mischief-makers. 
I  have  not  found  in  New  Jersey  any  one  who  has 
suffered  the  loss  of  trees  through  the  attacks  of  these 
birds,  even  in  the  limited  localities  where  they  have 
been  found  nesting.  Unlike  other  woodpeckers,  this 
one  is  an  expert  fly-catcher. 

In  a  remote  corner  of  one  of  Pennsylvania's  hilly 
counties,  where  superb  hemlock-trees  were  still  stand- 
ing, and  the  ground  was  so  rough  and  rocky  that  it 
was  difficult  even  to  clamber  over  it,  I  had  the  good 
fortune  to  spend  the  entire  month  of  November, 
1865.  I  led  a  wild  life,  wild  as  the  wary  fox,  the 
surly  bear,  and  timid  deer.  My  bed  was  hemlock 
boughs,  my  shelter  the  overhanging  rocks.  While 
struggling  to  cross  a  rapid  mountain  brook,  hidden 
in  a  dense  growth  of  rhododendrons,  I  realized  for  a 
moment  that  I  might  be  lost  and  called  to  my  com- 
panions. The  reply  was  a  loud  cackle  or  cackling 


THE  WOODPECKERS.  149 

laugh  that  thoroughly  startled  me.  Looking  up,  I 
saw  on  a  huge  dead  hemlock  a  Pileated  Woodpecker, 
the  "  Black  Log-cock"  of  which  I  had  heard  the  bark- 
gatherers  speak.  The  bird  had  not  heard  me  call,  and 
commenced  at  once  a  strange  rattling  of  the  dead  wood 
of  the  old  tree,  for  it  had  no  bark,  and  at  times  uttered 
a  loud  clicking  sound,  as  a  hen's  cackle  the  moment 
she  leaves  her  nest.  Very  soon  another  and  then  a 
third  came,  and  the  noise  made  by  the  three  could,  I 
think,  have  been  heard  a  mile  off.  At  a  signal,  or 
alarmed  by  the  same  real  or  fancied  danger,  they 
suddenly  darted  off,  flying  laboriously  but  rapidly 
down  the  rocky  glen.  Although  I  was  near  the 
same  spot  for  many  days  after,  I  saw  no  more 
of  them,  but  at  night  their  call  could  at  times  be 
heard,  and  I  was  told  that  "  they  never  slept  unless 
the  night  was  pitch  dark."  I  do  not,  however,  ac- 
cept this  statement  as  correct,  and  yet  why  should 
we  doubt  the  assertions  of  those  who  have  had 
every  opportunity  to  observe  birds  and  make  a  habit 
of  doing  so  ? 

In  June,  1867,  I  rambled  for  several  days  in  this 
same  old  woods  and  again  saw  these  birds.  There 
were  two  which  I  took  to  be  mates,  and  this  proved 
to  be  true,  as  a  day  later  I  found  them  again  and  saw 
the  tree  in  which  they  had  their  nest.  There  were 
never  two  more  noisy,  wary,  restless  birds,  and  I  had 
to  content  myself  with  glimpses  now  and  then,  and 
without  a  field-glass  would  probably  not  have  seen 
them  at  all. 

In  April,  1879,  I  was  more  fortunate.  In  Linn 
County,  North  Carolina,  I  found  them  abundant  and 
13* 


150  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

far  less  timid.  I  could  get  near  enough  to  view  them 
satisfactorily,  and  here  they  seemed,  too,  more  de- 
liberate. They  detached  enormous  chips  from  dead 
trees,  and  made  as  much  noise  in  their  work  as  they 
did  by  the  incessant  click  or  cackle  they  found  time 
to  utter. 

Wilson  says , — 

"  The  Pileated  Woodpecker  is  not  migratory,  but  braves  the  ex- 
tremes of  both  the  arctic  and  torrid  regions.  Neither  is  he  gregari- 
ous, for  it  is  rare  to  see  more  than  one  or  two,  or  at  the  most  three, 
in  company.  Formerly  they  were  numerous  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Philadelphia,  but  gradually,  as  the  old  timber  fell  and  the  country 
became  better  cleared,  they  retreated  to  the  forest.  At  present  few 
of  these  birds  are  to  be  found  within  ten  or  fifteen  miles  of  the  city." 

By  "  at  present"  he  referred  to  eighty  years  ago, 
and  the  "  ten  or  fifteen  miles"  must  now  be  multi- 
plied by  ten  at  least,  although  stragglers  occasion- 
ally are  seen  in  settled  districts.  A  century  ago  they 
were  common  in  the  great  pine  forests  of  New  Jersey, 
but  these  have  been  so  continually  fire-swept,  and  so 
much  of  the  larger  growth  cut  out,  that  probably 
the  bird  is  now  wanting  there. 

The  pileated  woodpecker  is  also  found  on  the  Pa- 
cific coast,  and  there,  too,  according  to  J.  K.  Lord,  is 
"  difficult  to  obtain  from  its  shy  habits,  always  hiding 
in  the  dark  pine  forests." 

A  splendid  bird,  but  one  no  longer  very  abundant 
in  long-settled  districts,  is  the  Red-headed  Wood- 
pecker. All  the  woodpeckers  have  a  bit  of  red  about 
their  heads,  but  it  often  is  but  a  mere  patch,  as  if  a 
slight  scratch  had  been  bleeding ;  but  in  this  bird  we 
have  with  glossy  black  and  white  plumage  a  brilliant 


THE  WOODPECKERS.  151 

red  head  and  neck.  It  is  a  much  more  conspicuous 
bird  than  the  all-red  cardinal  or  black-winged  tanager, 
and  of  late,  if  not  always,  the  birds  seem  to  know  it 
and  are  shy,  keeping  well  among  the  trees,  and  quite 
near  their  tops  at  that.  This  is  a  sad  change  and 
none  to  their  liking.  It  is  not  so  long  ago  that  the 
red-headed  woodpecker  was  a  bird  of  the  fields,  and 
particularly  of  the  old,  weed-grown  worm-fences  ;  and 
he  was  an  expert  fly-catcher,  and  launched  out  after 
beetles  as  gracefully  as  a  kingbird,  and  never  missed 
his  aim.  He  loved  the  old  apple-orchards,  and  his 
presence  there  was  as  natural  as  the  bloom  in  May 
or  the  ruddy  fruit  in  October.  Dr.  Warren  suggests 
that  the  demand  for  millinery  purposes  has  brought 
about  the  change.  Even  our  new  dictionaries  do  not 
give  us  the  words  that  are  needed  to  comment  on 
this  matter,  and  probably  the  world  will  not  wake  up 
until  the  birds  are  gone  altogether. 

These  birds  are  very  fond  of  wild  fruit,  and  Wilson 
says  are  excellent  judges  of  apples;  but  they  eat,  as 
do  all  woodpeckers,  any  quantity  of  insects,  and  earn 
and  always  did  earn  what  they  took  from  the  orchard. 

The  Red-bellied  Woodpecker  is  rare  in  the  eastern 
portions  of  the  Middle  States,  but  abundant  west- 
ward. They  appear  to  prefer  the  hilly  regions,  or 
have  been  driven  back  by  the  general  destruction  of 
the  timber. 

Nuttall  states,— 

"  His  loud  and  harsh  call  of  'tsAow,  'tsAow,  'tsAow,  'tsAow,  reiterated 
like  the  barking  of  a  cur,  may  often  be  heard,  through  the  course  of 
the  day,  to  break  the  silence  of  the  wilderness  in  which  his  congenial 
tribe  are  almost  the  only  residents.  On  a  fine  spring  morning  I  have 


152 


THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 


observed  his  desultory  ascent  up  some  dead  and  lofty  pine,  tapping 
at  intervals,  and  dodging  from  side  to  side,  as  he  ascended  in  a  spiral 
line;  at  length,  having  gained  the  towering  summit,  while  basking 
in  the  mild  sunbeams,  he  surveys  the  extensive  landscape,  and  almost 
with  the  same  reverberating  sound  as  his  blows,  at  intervals  he  utters 
a  loud  and  solitary  'cur'rA  in  a  tone  as  solemn  as  the  tolling  of  the 
Campanero.  He  thus  hearkens,  as  it  were,  to  the  shrill  echoes  of 
his  own  voice,  and  for  an  hour  at  a  time  seems  alone  employed  in 
contemplating,  in  cherished  solitude  and  security,  the  beauties  and 
blessings  of  the  rising  day." 

Perhaps  because  it  is  not  so  "  smart"  a  bird ;  pos- 
sibly because  it  has  a  good  deal  more  common  sense 
than  other  woodpeckers ;  but  whether  the  one  way 
or  the  other,  the  Golden-winged  Flicker,  or  High- 
hole,  means  to  hold  his  own  in  the  land  of  his  fathers, 


Flicker. 

mar  it  as  much  as  civilization  may.  If  there  are  no 
trees  it  will  take  to  the  fences,  and  if  needs  be,  it  can 
run  over  the  ground  a  good  deal  faster  than  any  boy 
can  unless  he  has  been  some  time  in  training.  But 


THE  WOODPECKERS.  153 

the  time  will  never  come  when  we  will  have  no  trees, 
and  so  the  flicker  will  never  be  "  put  to  it"  for  good 
nesting  sites  and  a  chance  to  drum  and  hammer  to 
its  heart's  content. 

In  the  Middle  States  these  birds  are  both  resident 
and  migratory,  and  migratory  in  New  England.  In 
a  general  way  they  are  all  "  woodpeckers,"  and  you 
notice  no  characteristic  traits  when  they  are  in  the 
trees  ;  but  in  August,  when  their  nesting  labors  are  all 
over,  they  often  congregate  in  large  numbers  in  the 
pasture  meadows  and  then  seem  quite  like  another 
bird.  They  know  that  beneath  the  dry  "chips," 
where  the  cattle  have  been  browsing,  are  plenty  of 
fat,  black  crickets,  and,  not  disposed  to  thrust  their 
beaks  through  these  unsavory  "  chips,"  they  deftly 
turn  them  over  and  seize  one  or  more  of  the  sur- 
prised insects.  I  have  been  told,  but  never  have  seen 
it,  that  when  a  "  chip"  is  too  large  for  one  bird  to 
manage,  "  two  will  tackle  it  and  divide  the  profits." 
The  voice  of  the  flicker  is  peculiar,  and  its  common 
name  is  derived  from  its  most  common  utterance, 
which  resembles  that  word  rapidly  pronounced  and 
repeated.  My  own  impression  has  always  been  that 
the  bird  said  wake  up,  wake  up,  rapidly  and  often, 
and  when  heard  about  sunrise  it  certainly  is  a  very 
suggestive,  if  not  altogether  welcome,  cry. 


£54  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

THE   CUCKOOS,   ETC. 

WHAT  of  our  Cuckoos  ?  There  is  found  in 
"  Northern  Mexico  and  contiguous  portions 
of  the  United  States,  north  to  Western  Indian  Territory 
and  Kansas,  Southern  Colorado,  and  California,"  a 
very  curious  and  interesting  bird  known  as  the  Road- 
runner.  As  the  name  suggests,  it  is  a  ground-cuckoo, 
and  except  that  it  occasionally  perches  upon  a  low 
bush,  is  seldom  seen  except  on  foot.  It  is  very  fleet 
and  is  often  chased  by  men  on  horseback,  and  gives 
evidence  of  excellent  endurance,  not  being  readily 
overtaken. 

It  is  an  expert  fly-catcher,  and  feeds  also  upon 
lizards  and  mice.  It  is  easily  tamed,  and  under  this 
artificial  restraint  proves  to  be  an  intelligent  and 
amusing  pet.  The  nest  is  loosely  built  of  twigs  in  a 
low  bush. 

Very  different  are  the  two  common  cuckoos  of  the 
Eastern  States :  different  in  appearance,  in  all  habits, 
and  strictly  arboreal.  I  can  recall  no  birds  that  so 
seldom  leave  the  trees,  and  have  no  recollection  of 
ever  seeing  one  upon  the  ground.  These  two  cuckoos 
are  known  as  the  "  Yellow-billed"  and  "  Black-billed" 
Cuckoos ;  but  probably  a  more  common  name  is 
"  Rain  Crow,"  and  a  more  absurd  one  would  be 


THE  CUCKOOS,  ETC.  155 

hard  to  imagine.  Their  peculiar  call  certainly  has 
nothing  to  do  with  any  change  of  weather.  They 
reach  the  Middle  States  in  April,  but  late  in  the 
month,  and  they  remain  until  late  in  September. 
Their  coming  is  promptly  recognized  if  we  are  on 
the  lookout  for  birds,  for  although  they  have  a  knack 
of  gliding  silently  through  the  trees,  they  are  com- 
pelled to  chatter  at  intervals,  and  the  ku-ku-ku-k-k-k- 
kuk-kuk-koo  they  utter  is  quite  unmistakable.  Au- 
thors have  pointed  out  in  considerable  detail  the 
differences  in  the  general  habits  of  these  two  birds, 
but  they  have  never  been  very  apparent  to  me.  Both 
are  common,  although  .the  yellow-billed  species  is 
always  the  most  abundant. 

This  cuckoo  is  said  to  be  a  more  persistent  nest- 
robber  than  the  "  Black-bill,"  but  as  a  caterpillar- 
eater  is  much  more  prominent  than  as  an  egg-sucker. 
It  is  fond,  too,  of  our  wild  red  and  white  mulberries, 
and  as  this  insipid  fruit  looks  so  much  like  a  worm,  I 
have  often  thought  that  perhaps  the  bird  did  not  know 
the  difference.  Of  course  the  robbing  of  birds'  nests 
is  an  ugly  record,  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
the  immense  number  of  insects  destroyed  by  these 
birds  outweighs  any  objection  that  can  be  urged 
against  them. 

A  cuckoo's  nest  is  a  slovenly  affair,  and  may  be 
found  in  a  tree  or  bush,  high  or  low,  and  that  young 
bird  is  fortunate  that  does  not  tumble  out  of  bed 
long  before  it  can  fly.  The  big  greenish-blue  eggs 
do  not  seem  to  be  highly  prized  by  their  owners, 
and  for  want  of  sufficient  attention  sometimes  fail  to 
hatch,  but  when  the  young  birds  have  really  put  in  an 


156  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

appearance  the  parents  are  fully  aroused  to  their  re- 
sponsibilities and  look  well  after  them ;  supply  in- 
numerable cater- 
pillars and  every 
discoverable  form 
of  uncanny  slug; 
and  when  you 
happen  to  go  too 
near  the  nest,  the 
old  birds  will  go 

Yellow-billed  Cuckoo.  into  hysterics,  or 
make  believe  to, 
hoping  to  completely  fool  you  as  to  the  whereabouts 
of  the  nest. 

Wilson  speaks  of  this  habit  as  follows : 

"  While  the  female  is  sitting  the  male  is  generally  not  far  distant, 
and  gives  the  alarm  by  his  notes  when  any  person  is  approaching. 
The  female  sits  so  close  that  you  may  almost  reach  her  with  your 
hand,  and  then  precipitates  herself  to  the  ground,  feigning  lameness, 
to  draw  you  away  from  the  spot,  fluttering,  trailing  her  wings,  and 
tumbling  over  in  the  manner  of  the  partridge,  woodcock,  and  many 
other  species.  Both  parents  unite  in  providing  food  for  the  young. 
This  consists  for  the  most  part  of  caterpillars,  particularly  such  as 
infest  apple-trees.  The  same  insects  constitute  the  chief  part  of  their 
own  sustenance." 

The  Black-billed  Cuckoo  has  always  been,  in  my 
experience,  a  lover  of  willow-trees  that  overhung  the 
water.  This,  of  course,  is  a  mere  coincidence,  but  I 
have  never  failed  to  find  them,  I  believe,  while  wan- 
dering about  the  creeks  that  have  so  generally  a  row 
of  pollards  on  one  or  both  banks,  or  among  the 
weeping-willows  that  fringe  the  mill-ponds.  From 
trees  on  the  water's  edge  the  cuckoos  will  dart  out 


THE  CUCKOOS,  ETC.  157 

at  times  and  seize  large  butterflies,  and  when  the 
broad  wings  of  the  victims  flop  about  the  captor's 
head,  it  is  very  amusing  to  see  the  bird  try  to  reach 
the  tree  from  which  it  flew.  This  is  not  accomplished 
in  the  most  graceful  manner  at  all  times. 

Passing  by  the  Trogons  and  Motmots,  that  are 
more  birds  of  Mexico  than  of  the  United  States,  we 
come  to  the  Kingfisher  as  next  in  order,  there  being 
but  one  species  in 
the  United  States  as 
a  whole,  and  the 
Texan  Kingfisher, 
which  is  found  only 
in  a  limited  area  on 
our  southwestern 
borders. 

In     the     Middle  Kingfisher. 

States  the  Common 

Kingfisher  is  both  resident  and  migratory.  When  it 
remains  in  winter  it  sometimes  roosts  in  the  nest 
that  was  occupied  during  the  preceding  summer,  but 
more  frequently  takes  refuge  in  some  sheltered  nook 
of  an  old  grist-mill,  and  fasts  when  the  ice  is  over 
all  the  open  water ;  but  this  is  very  seldom  the  case. 
In  April  those  that  migrated  have  returned,  and  the 
curious  cry  of  the  bird  is  a  common  feature  of  every 
locality  where  there  is  water.  Nuttall  speaks  of  it 
as  "  retiring,"  but  I  have  found  them  of  late  emi- 
nently sociable.  Many  are  found  in  remote  locali- 
ties, but  this  is  because  the  fishing  is  good  and  not 
because  mankind  is  more  or  less  remote.  It  is  a 
bird,  of  late,  of  our  mill-ponds,  and  if  there  were 
14 


158  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

enough  of  these  "  to  go  round,"  all  the  kingfishers 
would  be  near  at  hand.  They  seem  quite  content  to 
come  within  the  limits  of  large  towns,  provided  there 
is  an  abundance  of  food  and  the  ubiquitous  small 
boy  is  not  too  inquisitive. 

The  following  is  Dr.  J.  M.  Wheaton's  account  of 
the  nesting  habits  of  the  kingfisher  as  observed  by 
him  in  Ohio,  and  it  is  applicable  to  the  bird  where- 
soever found : 

"  The  nest  of  the  Kingfisher  is  an  excavation  in  the  face  of  a  high 
bank  of  a  stream  or  side  of  an  artificial  excavation.  The  entrance 
is  usually  within  a  couple  of  feet  below  the  top  of  the  bank  and  ex- 
tends inward,  usually  straight,  but  sometimes  with  an  angle,  from 
three  to  six  feet.  Usually  no  nest  is  made,  but  near  the  extremity 
the  eggs  are  deposited  in  the  midst  of  fish-bones  disgorged  and  ex- 
creted. The  eggs  are  from  five  to  seven,  usually  six,  nearly  spheri- 
cal, clear  shining  white,  and  of  very  dense  texture.  They  measure 
1.30  by  1.05.  The  birds  are  very  much  attached  to  their  nesting- 
site.  One  nest  on  the  bank  of  a  gravel-pit  I  have  dug  down  upon 
for  several  successive  years,  and  the  birds  are  not  yet  inclined  to 
desert  the  spot.  Another  bank  occupied  by  these  birds  was  re- 
moved by  a  freshet,  and  a  large  sycamore-tree  which  stood  upon  it 
was  carried  into  the  middle  of  the  stream,  where  it  remained  with 
large  quantities  of  earth  adhering  to  the  roots.  In  this  earth  the 
birds  made  a  tortuous  and  difficult  excavation,  and  successfully  raised 
their  young." 

The  Carolina  Paroquet,  which  belongs  to  a  different 
order  from  the  preceding,  but  is  next  to  it  in  the 
system  of  classification,  will  be  but  briefly  considered. 

Ridgway,  in  the  Manual,  states : 

"  Formerly,  entire  Mississippi  Valley,  Gulf  States,  and  Southern 
Atlantic  States,  north  (casually  ?)  to  Michigan,  Maryland,  or  even  to 
Albany,  New  York,  regularly  to  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Nebraska, 
etc.,  west  to  Eastern  Colorado  and  Texas ;  now  nearly  exterminated, 


THE  CUCKOOS,  ETC.  159 

and  existing  only  in  comparatively  restricted  and  isolated  localities 
in  lower  Mississippi  Valley  and  Gulf  States." 

This  is  not  pleasant  reading.  "  Nearly  extermi- 
nated" means  that  we  have  not  had  law  enough  of 
the  proper  sort  to  make  extermination  impossible.  It 
is  quite  probable — is  it  not  certain  ? — that  if  any  of  the 
remaining  parrots  ventured  into  the  old  haunts  they 
would  be  immediately  slaughtered.  This  is  the  usual 
fate  of  rare  birds,  and  the  professional  ornithologists 
are  more  at  fault  than  the  loafers. 


160  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

BIRDS   OF   PREY. 

'"pHERE  is  much  in  mere  bigness,  and  I  am  not 
1  surprised  that  naturalists,  in  days  gone  by, 
looked  upon  the  eagle  and  the  vulture  as  the  very 
highest  types  of  bird-life,  and  that  people  generally 
were  more  impressed  with  a  regal  falcon  than  a  timid 
thrush;  and  in  spite  of  all  biological  disquisition  and 
learned  anatomical  treatises  and  evolutionary  phi- 
losophy, a  bird  that  outflies  all  others  and  preys 
upon  others  will  be  held  to  be  the  better  bird,  and  so 
prove  by  what  it  accomplishes  that  which  the  system- 
atist  denies  concerning  him.  Certainly  on  viewing 
bird-life  as  we  ordinarily  see  it,  and  particularly  so 
in  this  country,  we  are  more  impressed  by  a  hawk 
than  a  sparrow.  Their  relative  sizes  have  not  all  to 
do  with  this.  The  hawk  asserts  himself,  thrusts  him- 
self upon  our  notice,  and  the  timid  sparrow  cowers 
in  his  presence.  We  never  forget  this,  and  naturally 
in  studying  the  birds  about  us  turn  from  power  to 
weakness,  and  not  from  the  humble  stand-point  glance 
upward  towards  the  powerful ;  and  yet  the  sparrow 
and  the  thrush  have  a  standing  in  the  bird-world 
that  is  far  more  exalted  than  that  of  the  eagle,  falcon, 
or  even  the  huge  king  vulture. 

We  cannot  always  forget  that  these  birds,  except  the 
vultures,  are  murderers,  as  we  call  them.     We  know 


BIRDS  OF  PREY.  161 

that  a  hawk  will  kill  a  thrush,  and  so  condemn  it; 
but  the  thrush  that  eats  an  earthworm  goes  scot-free. 
Of  course  in  this,  as  in  all  else,  man  is  very  incon- 
sistent ;  but  when  we  simply  see  the  hawk  hovering 
above  an  uncared-for  mouse,  or  mark  the  eagle  as 
he  flies  directly  towards  the  sun,  or  follow  the  ma- 
noeuvres of  falcons  that  chase  each  other  until  above 
the  clouds,  and  swooping  earthward  with  lightning 
speed,  just  clear  the  ground  and  rise  with  fixed  pinions 
to  the  upper  air,  we  are  so  filled  with  honest  admiration 
that  the  so-called  bad  qualities  are  quite  overlooked. 
Birds  of  prey  may  be  low  in  the  scale  of  the  system- 
atist,  but  forever  they  will  remain  the  birds  of  birds. 

There  are  three  groups  into  which  this  class  is 
divided,  and  we  all  recognize  the  differences  at  a 
glance :  the  Vultures,  the  Falcons,  and  the  Owls. 

Vultures,  while  in  a  sense  birds  of  prey,  are  car- 
rion-feeders, and  this  feature,  while  it  makes  them 
repulsive,  at  the  same  time  causes  their  usefulness  to 
be  recognized,  and  many  of  them  are  almost  domesti- 
cated, living  in  our  towns  and  giving  as  little  heed  to 
the  people  about  them  as  do  our  poultry.  Being 
unmolested,  they  are  tame,  and  that  might  be  applied 
to  a  great  many  other  birds, — that  is,  it  is  possible 
to  have  many  birds  now  exceedingly  wild  become 
equally  tame,  equally  familiar.  I  have  experimented 
in  this  direction  for  so  many  years  that  I  am  positive 
the  assertion  is  warranted.  Birds,  as  a  class,  it  must 
be  remembered,  are  very  intelligent.  They  carefully 
study  the  status  of  affairs,  and  learn  to  discriminate 
between  friends  and  foes.  Make  a  place  safe  for 
birds  and  the  birds  will  find  it  out  and  occupy  it. 
/  14* 


1 62  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

In  the  United  States  we  have  three  vultures,  of 
which  the  one  characteristic  of  the  Pacific  coast  is 
much  the  largest.  Ridgway  says  of  it,  "  now  much 
reduced  in  numbers  and  extinct  in  many  localities 
where  formerly  abundant." 

Lewis  and  Clarke  refer  as  follows  to  this  bird : 

"  The  buzzard  is,  we  believe,  the  largest  bird  of  North  America. 
One  which  was  taken  by  our  hunters  was  not  in  good  condition,  and 
yet  the  weight  was  twenty-five  pounds.  Between  the  extremity  of 
the  wings  the  bird  measured  nine  feet  and  two  inches.  ...  It  is 
not  known  that  this  bird  preys  upon  living  animals :  we  have  seen 
him  feeding  on  the  remains  of  the  whale  and  other  fish  thrown  upon 
the  coast  by  the  violence  of  the  waves.  This  bird  was  not  seen  by 
any  of  the  party  until  we  had  descended  Columbia  River  below  the 
great  falls." 

The  vulture  common  to  the  Middle  States  and 
southward  is  known  almost  everywhere  as  the 
"  Turkey-buzzard."  Dr.  Coues  says  our  birds  are 
more  sluggish  and  have  nothing  of  the  spirit  of  Eu- 
ropean vultures,  and  I  can  well  believe  it,  for  the 
turkey-buzzard  is  one  wherein  enchantment  is  in  pro- 
portion to  the  distance,  so  far  as  the  spectator  is  con- 
cerned. As  a  bird  of  the  air,  circling  for  hours  with 
no  apparent  movement  of  the  wings,  this  bird  is  cer- 
tainly the  embodiment  of  grace;  as  a  bird  of  the 
ground,  surfeited  with  unsavory  mutton,  unable  to 
fly  and  scarcely  to  reach  the  top  rail  of  a  fence,  the 
bird  is  the  picture  of  helpless,  gluttonous  stupidity. 

In  the  Middle  States — and  they  are  rare  northward 
— these  birds  are  both  resident  and  migratory,  and 
being  protected  by  law,  are  quite  tame  in  some  locali- 
ties. Wherever  sheep  are  raised  the  "  turkey-buz- 
zard" is  sure  to  be  found,  but  I  have  never  known  of 


BIRDS  OF  PREY.  163 

their  attacking  them.  Certainly  the  farmer  does  not 
concern  himself  about  such  a  possibility.  If  young 
animals  are  attacked  they  are  very  helpless  and  have 
probably  been  abandoned  as  dead.  It  may  be  that 
they  do  not  prefer  putrid  flesh,  but  they  have  been 
known  to  be  so  extremely  deliberate  in  eating  a 
skinned  carcass  that  it  was  very  "  loud"  before  the 
bones  were  picked  clean. 

The  discussion  whether  the  sense  of  smell  or  that 
of  sight  is  the  vulture's  guidance  in  finding  its  food 
has  been  brought  to  a  close  of  late  by  the  present 
general  admission  that  they  are  chiefly  guided  by 
their  piercing  eyesight.  Of  course  we  will  always 
meet  with  those  who  will  maintain  the  contrary. 
Every  positive  statement  is  met  thus,  even  the  sim- 
plest and  most  obvious  facts  being  daily  contradicted. 
It  is  pure  kindness  to  the  bird  that  it  has  no  keen 
sense  of  smell,  and  the  law  that  has  operated  and  is 
operating  to  bring  the  varied  forms  of  life  into  exist- 
ence could  never  have  evolved  a  sensitive-nostrilled 
carrion-feeder.  The  food  must  be  sweet  or  the  sense 
of  smell  deadened.  The  conditions  that  operated  to 
produce  an  appetite  for  carrion,  or  even  a  willingness  to 
eat  it,  called  necessarily  for  a  loss  of  the  sense  of  smell. 

I  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  month  of  Septem- 
ber, 1888,  in  Adams  County,  Ohio,  encamped  at  the 
"  Serpent  Mound."  The  turkey-buzzards  were  ex- 
traordinarily abundant,  and  I  was  then  struck  with 
two  peculiarities  I  had  never  noticed  in  these  birds 
as  I  had  observed  them  in  New  Jersey.  They  were 
continually  croaking,  and  almost  as  distinctly  as 
crows ;  and  when  the  water  in  Brush  Creek  was  low 


164  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

— about  every  other  day — they  would  wander  about 
the  flat  stones  that  formed  there  the  bed  of  this 
apology  for  a  creek  and  appeared  to  be  hunting 
some  kind  of  living  food.  They  therefore  appeared 
in  a  new  role,  and  I  gave  the  matter  considerable 
attention  until  I  found  that  the  lodged  carcass  of  a 
drowned  calf  was  the  attraction,  and  only  at  certain 
stages  of  this  creek,  that  rose  and  fell  with  every 
petty  shower,  could  they  get  a  chance  to  nibble  at  it. 
The  incident  showed,  I  thought,  that  food  was  very 
scarce,  and  they  must  indeed  have  very  keen  eye- 
sight to  have  found  this  tidbit,  hidden  as  it  was 
among  rocks  at  the  foot  of  a  steep  wooded  cliff. 

The  Black  Vulture  is  the  more  Southern  species, 
and  is  a  common  feature  of  many  Southern  cities  as 
well  as  the  country,  and  depended  upon  to  some  ex- 
tent as  a  scavenger.  Nuttall's  account  is  as  follows : 

"  Their  flight  is  neither  so  easy  nor  so  graceful  as  that  of  the  Turkey- 
buzzard.  They  flap  their  wings  and  then  soar  horizontally,  renewing 
the  motion  of  their  pinions  at  short  intervals.  ...  In  the  country, 
where  I  have  surprised  them  feeding  in  the  woods,  they  appeared 
rather  shy  and  timorous,  watching  my  movements  alertly  like  hawks, 
and  every  now  and  then  one  or  two  of  them,  as  they  sat  in  the  high 
boughs  of  a  neighboring  oak,  communicated  to  the  rest,  as  I  slowly 
approached,  a  low  bark  of  alarm  or  waugh,  something  like  the  sup- 
pressed growl  of  a  puppy,  at  which  the  flock  by  degrees  deserted  the 
dead  hog  upon  which  they  happened  to  be  feeding.  Sometimes  they 
will  collect  together  about  one  carcass  to  the  number  of  two  hundred 
and  upward,  and  the  object,  whatever  it  may  be,  is  soon  robed  in 
living  mourning,  scarcely  anything  being  visible  but  a  dense  mass  of 
these  sable  scavengers,  who  may  often  be  seen  jealously  contending 
with  each  other,  both  in  and  out  of  the  carcass,  denied  with  blood 
and  filth,  holding  on  with  their  feet,  hissing  and  clawing  each  other, 
or  tearing  off  morsels  so  as  to  fill  their  throats  nearly  to  choking,  and 
occasionally  joined  by  growling  dogs, — the  whole  presenting  one  of 


BIRDS  OF  PREY.  165 

the  most  savage  and  disgusting  scenes  in  nature,  and  truly  worthy 
the  infernal  bird  of  Prometheus." 

This  Southern  vulture  is  rarely  seen  in  the  Middle 
States,  a  straggler  now  and  then  being  recorded,  but 
inland  it  goes  quite  as  far  north. 

As  a  class  the  hawks  are  certainly  more  attractive 
than  vultures,  and  there  is  no  more  graceful  bird, 
when  flying,  than  the  Swallow-tailed  Kite,  a  bird  of 
the  "  tropical  and  warm-temperate  portions  of  conti- 
nental America,"  and  a  visitor  to  the  interior  States, 
along  the  Mississippi  River  and  eastward  to  Ohio. 
It  is  of  rare  occurrence  in  Pennsylvania,  but  is  re- 
corded also  of  New  Jersey  and  New  England. 

The  habits  of  the  bird  are  such  that  it  deserves 
encouragement,  feeding  as  it  does  on  insects,  snakes, 
lizards,  and  such  forms  of  animal-life  "  as  must  neces- 
sarily be  held  in  check ;"  but  the  quotation  calls  for 
some  comment,  for  both  snakes  and  lizards  are  ex- 
tremely useful,  the  former  in  keeping  down  the  mice, 
the  latter  in  destroying  insects.  It  is  unfair  to  over- 
look the  good  accomplished  by  unattractive  forms  of 
life. 

According  to  Wilson, — 

"The  Swallow-tailed  Hawk  retires  to  the  south  in  October,  at 
which  season,  Mr.  Bartram  informs  me,  they  are  seen  in  Florida  at  a 
vast  height  in  the  air,  sailing  about  with  great  steadiness,  and  con- 
tinued to  be  seen  thus  passing  to  their  winter-quarters  for  several 
days.  They  usually  feed  from  their  claws  as  they  fly  along.  Their 
flight  is  easy  and  graceful,  with  sometimes  occasional  sweeps  among 
the  trees,  the  long  feathers  of  their  tail  spread  out,  and  each  ex- 
tremity of  it  used  alternately  to  lower,  elevate,  or  otherwise  direct 
their  course." 

The  Blue  or  Mississippi  Kite  is  a  bird  strictly  of 


166  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

the  Southern  States.  Its  splendid  flight-power  makes 
it  an  attractive  bird,  and  in  soaring  it  often  reaches 
an  altitude  equal  to  that  attained  by  the  turkey-buz- 
zard. It  feeds  upon  insects,  lizards,  snakes,  and  such 
small  fry  rather  than  upon  birds. 

In  Florida  occurs  the  Everglade  Kite,  a  bird  dis- 
covered in  recent  years  as  an  inhabitant  of  that  penin  - 
sula.  It  is  stated  by  W.  E.  D.  Scott  that 

"their  food  at  this  point  apparently  consists  of  a  kind  of  large 
fresh-water  snail  which  is  very  abundant.  .  .  .  They  fish  over  the 
shallow  water,  reminding  one  of  gulls  in  their  motions ;  and  having 
secured  a  snail  by  diving,  they  immediately  carry  it  to  the  nearest 
available  perch,  when  the  animal  is  dexterously  taken  from  the  shell 
without  injury  to  the  latter." 

Those  who  are  familiar  with  wide  reaches  of 
meadows  in  the  Middle  and  New  England  States 
must  often  have  seen  a  broad-winged  hawk,  of  large 
size,  swoop  gracefully  over  the  tall  grasses,  and  with 
quick  motions  of  the  wings  appear  to  sweep  the  tops 
of  the  reeds  and  bulrushes,  as  if  to  start  from  their 
lurking-places  whatsoever  of  wild  life  might  be  hiding 
there.  This  is  the  Marsh-hawk.  The  male  bird  is, 
when  matured,  of  a  uniform  pale-blue  color  as  seen 
flying,  and  the  female  rich  brown,  with  a  white  band 
at  the  base  of  the  tail.  In  August,  when  the  bobo- 
links— now  "  reed-birds" — and  red-winged  blackbirds 
come  to  the  meadows  by  the  thousands,  these  hawks 
are  ever  ready  to  snap  up  the  unwary  or  weakly  ones, 
and  having  learned  the  significance  of  a  pot-shooter's 
gun,  have  been  seen  to  swoop  down  and  carry  off 
many  a  wounded  bird.  Mice,  too,  are  captured  in 
great  numbers,  and  this  fact  should  commend  the 


BIRDS  OF  PREY.  167 

bird  to  all  who  live  in  the  country.  So  eager,  at 
times,  are  these  hawks  for  mice,  that  they  tear  open 
their  run-ways  in  the  grass  and  so  find  them  when 
otherwise  they  would  have  escaped.  The  marsh- 
hawk  does  not  confine  himself  to  the  lowlands. 
They  scour  our  upland  fields  for  mice  and  so  do  a 
vast  amount  of  good,  for  there  can  be  no  question 
but  that  our  clover-fields  sadly  suffer  from  an  excess 
of  this  pest,  a  condition  that  would  not  obtain  were 
it  not  for  the  senseless  prejudice  against  snakes. 
Dr.  Coues  says, — 

"  The  Marsh  Harrier  belongs  among  the  '  ignoble'  birds  of  the 
falconers,  but  is  neither  a  weakling  nor  a  coward.  .  .  .  Still,  under 
ordinary  circumstances,  its  spirit  is  hardly  commensurate  with  its 
physique,  and  its  quarry  is  humble." 

The  Sharp-shinned  Hawk  is  not  likely  to  have 
any  friends  among  the  farmers,  and  at  this  we  can- 
not wonder.  Its  impudence  would  be  against  it  even 
if  it  did  no  harm,  but  its  fondness  for  young  poultry 
is  undeniable.  I  was  told  the  following  by  an  old 
lady  some  years  ago,  but  do  not  believe  it,  as  the 
imagination  of  the  narrator  was  known  to  be  lively. 
She  said  that  finding  a  brood  of  young  chickens 
some  distance  from  the  house,  she  gathered  them  up 
in  her  apron  and  was  about  to  start  home,  when  a 
sharp-shinned  hawk — a  cunnin'  little  blue  hawk,  she 
called  it — dashed  down  and  took  one  from  her  lap. 

These  small  hawks  vary  greatly  in  numbers  in 
some  localities.  I  have  known  them  to  be  very  abun- 
dant and  to  work  sad  havoc  among  the  small  birds 
of  the  neighborbood,  and  then  to  become  very  rare, 
almost  none  being  seen  for  a  year  or  more.  While 


1 68  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

resident  in  the  Middle  States  they  are  more  generally 
noticed  in  the  autumn  and  winter,  and  seem  to  follow 
the  flocks  of  tree-sparrows  and  Peabody-birds. 

Dr.  Wheaton's  account  of  his  observations  of  this 
hawk  is  most  interesting : 

"  The  sharp-shinned  hawk  is  one  of  the  most  daring  and  dashing 
of  the  family,  frequently  and  successfully  visiting  the  barn -yard  for 
food,  and  often  attacking  birds  of  nearly  its  own  weight.  Some- 
times, however,  he  fails  to  obtain  his  prey,  either  from  over-confi- 
dence in  his  own  abilities  or  under-estimation  of  the  powers  of  his 
victim.  I  once  saw  an  adult  bird  of  this  species  pounce  upon  a 
meadow-lark  quietly  feeding  upon  the  ground.  By  some  means  the 
attack  was  only  partly  successful,  and  the  lark  hopped  about  for  a 
few  moments  with  the  hawk  upon  his  back.  The  ridiculousness  of 
his  position  seemed  to  disconcert  the  hawk,  who  relaxed  his  grip,  only 
to  find  himself  attacked  by  the  bill  and  claws  of  his  victim.  Then 
followed  a  fierce  fight  with  claws,  bills,  and  wings,  in  which  both 
contestants  appeared  equally  active  and  determined.  Finally  the 
combatants  separated,  the  hawk  flying  in  one  direction,  disappointed, 
dejected,  and  disgusted,  the  lark  in  another,  recovering  his  breath 
by  extraordinary  cries  of  alarm  and  distress. 

"  The  nest  of  the  sharp-shinned  hawk  is  usually  placed  in  trees, 
sometimes  on  rocks.  The  eggs  are  white,  variously  shaded,  thickly 
marked  with  different  shades  of  brown.  They  measure  about  i  .45 
by  1.15." 

Cooper's  Hawk,  or  Chicken-hawk,  as  you  will,  is 
larger  than  the  preceding,  and  with  the  increased 
size  goes  increased  daring.  I  have  seen  one  of  these 
birds  swoop  down  upon  a  decapitated  chicken  within 
five  paces  of  the  man  who  was  waiting  for  the  chicken 
to  bleed.  Dr.  Warren  says,  "  For  impudent  daring 
this  species,  without  doubt,  ranks  pre-eminent  among 
the  raptorial  genera."  In  general  habits  it  does  not 
differ  essentially  from  the  preceding. 

The  Goshawk  is  not  a  common  species  anywhere. 


BIRDS  OF  PREY. 


169 


It  nests  in  high  mountainous  regions  and  north  of 
the  United  States,  and  in  the  river  valleys  of  the 
Middle  States  is  seen  only  as  a  winter  visitor.  It  is 
a  beautiful  hawk,  but  when  seen  sitting  on  a  dead 
tree,  or  slowly  flying  over  the  river  or  flooded 
meadows,  does  not  suggest  that  it  is  really  a  fiery, 
high-spirited,  or  "  noble"  falcon. 

The  Red-tailed  Hawk,  or  "Hen-hawk"  of  the 
farmers,  is  too  well  known  a  bird  to  need  minute  de- 
scription. It  is  that  fine 
old  hawk  that  sails  in 
great  circles  high  in  air 
and  calls  at  times  to  its 
mate  with  a  shrill  scream 
that  startles  every  chicken 
and  causes  chanticleer  to 
look  about  and  caution 
the  hens. 

The  hen-hawk,  or  red- 
tail,  may  be  "  rather  inac- 
tive" sometimes,  but  there 
is  plenty  of  "  dash"  about 
him  when  occasion  calls 
for  it.  This  is  not  dis- 
played in  the  prosy  matter 
of  procuring  food,  but  is 
an  affair  of  play,  perhaps, 
when,  almost  out  of  sight, 
a  pair  of  them  have  what 

appears  through  the  telescope  to  be  a  rough-and- 
tumble  fight. 

The  migrations  of  these  birds  have  often  been  de- 

H  15 


Red-tailed  Hawk. 


170  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

scribed.  Where  do  so  many  hawks  come  from  ?  is  the 
question  usually  asked  when  they  wheel  through  the 
air  hundreds  at  a  time,  and  for  hour  after  hour. 

The  Broad-winged  Hawk  is  not  as  well  known  a 
bird  as  the  red-tail.  It  is  only  a  winter  visitor  in 
New  Jersey,  I  think,  but  Dr.  Warren  says  it  is  a  resi- 
dent in  Pennsylvania.  I  have  noticed  it  in  November 
and  later,  but  it  practically  disappears  in  early  spring, 
at  least  from  the  tide-water  portion  of  the  Delaware 
River  Valley. 

Dr.  Warren  says, — 

"  When  in  quest  of  food  its  flight  is  in  circles.  At  times,  when 
circling  like  the  Sparrow-hawk,  it  will  stand  for  an  instant  beating 
the  air  and  then  descend  with  great  velocity  upon  its  prey,  which  it 
secures,  not  in  its  descent,  but  as  it  is  on  the  rise." 

In  midwinter,  when  the  meadows  are  firmly  frozen, 
I  have  often  seen  these  hawks  walking  over  the 
flats  at  low  tide,  but  could  not  determine  what  par- 
ticular kind  of  food,  if  any,  they  were  in  search  of. 
When  disturbed  they  rose  leisurely  and  perched  on 
a  dead  tree  or  an  exposed  limb  of  a  living  tree,  and 
both  when  leaving  the  ground  and  when  alighting 
they  utter  a  rather  prolonged,  mellow  whistle  that  is 
pleasing,  and  very  different  from  the  cat-like  scream 
of  the  red-tailed  hawk. 

The  Red-shouldered  Hawk  is  more  generally 
known  as  the  Winter  Falcon ;  but  it  has  not  been  my 
experience  that  the  people  living  in  the  country  were 
given  to  discriminating  between  these  large  hawks, 
calling  them  by  the  same  name  and  attributing  the 
same  objectionable  habits  to  them  all,  and  no  amount 
of  argumentation  will  ever  avail;  while  the  birds 


BIRDS  OF  PREY.  171 

remain  with  us  persecution  will  go  on,  and  farmers 
otherwise  intelligent  will  take  pride  in  ornamenting 
their  barns  with  hawks,  owls,  and  crows  indiscrimi- 
nately slaughtered.  The  truth  may  be  mighty,  but 
it  does  not  always  prevail.  Here,  in  the  case  of 
this  bird,  we  have  a  mouse-  and  grasshopper-hawk 
that  does  not  eat  one  chicken  in  a  year,  and  yet  it  is 
not  safe  unless  out  of  gunshot. 

Dr.  Wheaton  says  that  this  hawk  visits  the  barn- 
yard (that  is,  takes  a  chicken  now  and  then),  but  I  am 
very  strongly  inclined  to  doubt  it.  Possibly  there  was 
some  other  attraction.  Dr.  Warren  defends  it,  and 
I  know  it  is  a  capital  mouser,  and  what  more  in  its 
favor  need  be  said  ? 

It  is  a  common  impression  that  "  Feather-boots" 
and  the  Black-hawk  are  quite  different  birds,  and 
there  does  appear  to  be  a  difference  besides  the 
one  of  color,  and  that  is  the  true  Black-hawk  is  a 
more  wary  bird,  acting  as  if  it  knew  that  in  the  eyes 
of  a  taxidermist,  if  no  other,  its  skin  had  a  special 
value.  These  two  forms  of  the  one  species  come  to 
the  Middle  States  quite  often  as  early  as  November  I, 
and  from  that  time  on  you  can  generally  find  them 
perched  upon  hay-stacks,  or  taking  up  a  position  on 
some  lone  tree  from  which  there  is  an  unobstructed 
view  of  the  fields  below,  and  if  not  disturbed  the 
same  bird  will  stay  all  winter,  provided  the  supply 
of  mice  does  not  run  short. 

They  are  essentially  a  harmless  bird,  and  seem  to 
have  impressed  their  real  standing  in  the  world  upon 
the  minds  of  many  people ;  and  certainly  they  are  an 
ornamental  feature  of  the  winter  landscape.  Stand- 


172  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

ing  out  boldly  against  a  background  of  untrodden 
snow,  or  the  cold  gray  sky  of  a  winter  day,  they  are 
sure  to  command  attention.  Their  position  then  is 
that  of  dignified  repose ;  but  let  a  mouse  stir  in  the 
grass  beneath  them,  or  dainty  vesper  mice  venture 
from  their  bush  nests  in  the  smilax,  and  instantly  this 
"  sluggish,  heavy"  hawk  is  all  activity. 

Audubon's  account  of  this  bird  runs,  in  part,  as 
follows : 

"  When  not  alarmed  it  usually  flies  low  and  sedately,  and  does  not 
exhibit  any  of  the  courage  and  vigor  so  conspicuous  in  most  other 
hawks,  suffering  thousands  of  birds  to  pass  without  pursuing  them. 
The  greatest  feat  I  have  ever  seen  it  perform  was  scrambling  at  the 
edge  of  the  water  to  secure  a  lethargic  frog.  They  alight  on  trees 
to  roost,  but  appear  so  hungry  or  indolent  at  all  times  that  they  seldom 
retire  to  rest  until  after  dusk.  Their  large  eyes,  indeed,  seem  to  in- 
dicate their  possession  of  the  faculty  of  seeing  at  that  late  hour.  I 
have  frequently  put  up  one  that  seemed  watching  for  food  at  the  edge 
of  a  ditch  long  after  sunset." 

The  Golden  Eagle  is  now  one  of  those  rare  birds 
that,  if  seen,  becomes  the  talk  of  the  neighborhood, 
and  one  is  never  shot  but  the  fact  is  recorded  in  the 
village  paper  as  a  wonderful  event.  The  probabilities 
are  that  in  Indian  times  they  were  abundant  during 
the  winter  along  our  river  valleys,  and  not  unlikely 
they  were  resident.  Even  so  recently  as  1800  (I  have 
manuscript  records)  they  were  observed,  as  well  as 
the  Bald  Eagles,  to  follow  the  enormous  flights  of 
wild  ducks  in  November,  that  were  then  a  character- 
istic occurrence  in  the  tide-water  portion  of  the  Dela- 
ware Valley.  At  present  this  eagle  is  not  uncommon 
along  the  sea-coast  in  winter,  but  is  only  seen  singly, 


BIRDS  OF  PREY.  173 

and  it  is  rather  seldom  that  they  come  inland,  unless 
it  is  to  the  mountainous  regions. 

Of  course  so  bulky  a  bird  preys  upon  animals  and 
birds  of  large  size,  and  Dr.  Warren  has  given  an 
amusing  account  of  one  kept  in  confinement,  which 
very  readily  despatched  cats  of  the  largest  size  and 
ate  a  very  considerable  portion  of  them. 

Lewis  and  Clarke  found  this  bird  on  the  Pacific 
seaboard,  and  remark  concerning  it, — 

"  This  bird  is  feared  by  all  his  carnivorous  competitors,  which,  on 
his  approach,  leave  the  carcass  instantly  on  which  they  had  been 
feeding.  The  female  breeds  in  the  most  inaccessible  parts  of  the 
mountains,  where  she  makes  her  summer  residence,  and  descends  to 
the  plains  only  in  the  fall  and  winter  seasons.  The  natives  are  at 
this  season  on  the  watch,  and  so  highly  is  this  plumage  prized  by  the 
Mandans,  the  Minnetarees,  and  the  Ricaras,  that  the  tail-feathers  of 
two  of  these  eagles  will  be  purchased  by  the  exchange  of  a  good 
horse  or  gun." 

Everybody  is  supposed  to  know  the  whole  history 
of  the  Bald  Eagle,  and  certainly  the  adult  bird  is 
always  recognized  at  sight.  The  glistening  white 
head  and  white  tail  mark  it  at  once  as  the  eagle,  and 
I  am  not  positive  that  the  bird  possesses  any  particu- 
larly interesting  phase  of  habit  or  character.  It  is 
neither  brave  nor  cunning,  and  when  the  fish-hawk 
will  provide  it  with  fish  it  is  quite  willing  that  it 
should  do  so. 

J.  K.  Lord  found  them  stupid  to  a  marked  degree 
on  the  Pacific  coast  in  winter.  He  says, — 

"  They  collect,  young  and  old  together,  round  the  Sumass  Lake, 
and  as  the  cold  becomes  intense  they  sit  three  and  four  on  the  limb 
of  a  pine-tree,  or  in  a  semi-stupid  state,  all  their  craft  and  courage 
gone,  blinking  and  drowsy  as  an  owl  in  daytime. 


174  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

"  I  have  often,  when  walking  under  the  trees  where  these  half- 
torpid  monarchs  of  the  air  sit  side  by  side,  fired  and  knocked  one 
out  from  betwixt  its  neighbors  without  causing  them  the  slightest 
alarm.  .  .  .  This  eagle  is  by  far  the  most  abundant  of  the  falcon 
tribe  in  British  Columbia,  and  always  a  conspicuous  object  in  ascend- 
ing a  river ;  he  is  seated  on  the  loftiest  tree  or  rocky  pinnacle,  and 
soars  off  circling  round,  screaming  like  a  tortured  demon,  as  if  in  re- 
monstrance at  such  an  impudent  intrusion  into  its  solitudes." 

The  Gyrfalcons  are  circumpolar  birds,  and  one,  the 
Gray  Gyrfalcon,  comes  within  our  northern  boun- 
daries in  winter.  They  are  superb  birds,  particularly 
the  white  one,  which  is  often  immaculate,  but  usually 
with  some  dark  markings. 

Nuttall  says  of  one  variety  of  the  gyrfalcon, — 

"  Next  to  the  eagle,  this  bird  is  the  most  formidable,  active,  and 
intrepid,  and  was  held  in  the  highest  esteem  for  falconry.  It  boldly 
attacks  the  largest  birds." 

The  Duck-hawk,  or,  as  we  sometimes  hear  it  called, 
the  Peregrine  Falcon,  is  only  common  in  limited 
localities,  but  may  be  found  occasionally  in  every 
part  of  the  continent.  It  has  not  been  long  since  it 
was  found  nesting  in  a  hemlock  near  the  Delaware 
Water  Gap  in  Pennsylvania,  and  "  up"  the  river  they 
seem  to  remain  until  early  autumn,  when  they  come 
"  down"  and  are  found  sparingly  about  tide-water  all 
winter,  but  especially  do  they  seek  the  salt  marshes 
and  the  sea-coast.  Dr.  Cooper  says  of  one  he  saw 
on  the  Pacific  coast,  "I  have  seen  one  pursue  a 
swallow,  and,  turning  feet  upward,  seize  it  flying  with 
perfect  ease."  The  common  name  duck-hawk  comes 
from  the  fact  that  this  bird  preys  upon  wild  fowl,  and 
being  so  powerful  and  active,  it  can  easily  strike  down 
a  flying  duck. 


BIRDS  OF  PREY. 


175 


A  much  smaller  and  far  more  destructive  bird  is 
the  common  Pigeon-hawk,  also  a  true  falcon,  and 
abreast  of  any  of  its  fellows  in  all  falconine  traits. 
It  is  a  northern  species  that  comes  southward  in 
autumn,  and  as  single  birds,  or  in  pairs,  wander 
about  where  there  are  small  birds  in  abundance. 
They  are  very  fatal  to  the  flocks  of  horned  larks, 
chase  flocks  of  blackbirds  until  they  scatter  them, 
and  have  been  known  to  enter  dove-cots  and  destroy 
the  pigeons.  Wilson  supposes  that  they  do  not  winter 
in  the  Middle  States,  but  this  is  an  error. 

The  Sparrow-hawk  is  everywhere,  and  equally 
happy  whether  the  thermometer  registers  zero  or 
1 00°  in  the  shade.  Give  it  a  chance  to  go  mousing 
and  it  asks  nothing,  except  per- 
haps an  opportunity  to  vary  its 
diet  with  a  sparrow. 

I  do  not  know  that  these  beau- 
tiful birds  care  much  for  dense 
forests,  and  I  seldom  have  seen 
them  in  our  great  tide-water 
marshes ;  but  is  there  a  field  in 
the  whole  land  over  which,  at 
some  time,  they  have  not  hov- 
ered? Their  flight  is  not  ma- 
jestic like  the  eagle's,  nor  as  er- 
ratic as  the  swallow's,  but  there 
is  a  grace  in  their  movements,  a 
general  "  at-homeness,"  if  I  may 
coin  the  word,  in  the  air  that  is 
delightful  to  witness.  Darting  with  apparent  reck- 
lessness across  the  field,  suddenly  the  bird  stops, 


Sparrow-hawk. 


i/6  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

pauses  motionless  in  mid-air,  and  then  with  a  quick 
vibrating  of  the  wings  remains  in  the  one  position 
until  satisfied.  No !  it  was  not  a  mouse  that  time, 
and  on  he  goes.  At  short  intervals  this  poising 
above  the  ground  is  followed  by  a  sudden  earthward 
swoop,  but  the  bird  comes  up  again  with  empty 
talons.  Again  and  again  this  happens,  and  mouse 
the  first  is  well  digested  before  mouse  the  second  is 
captured.  The  "  unerring  aim"  is  all  moonshine,  but 
there  are  plenty  of  lucky  swoops,  and  never  a  spar- 
row-hawk went  hungry  for  long. 

These  little  falcons  build  in  trees,  using  some  com- 
modious hollow  that  perhaps  an  owl  has  occupied 
before  them,  and  here  they  lay  pretty  eggs  and  raise 
an  interesting  brood.  When  nearly  ready  to  fly  the 
young  may  be  tamed  thoroughly,  and  make  very 
amusing  but  somewhat  troublesome  pets.  One  that  I 
had  was  allowed  to  alight  upon  the  top  of  my  head, 
and,  bending  over,  make  believe  to  kiss  me.  This 
habit  led  to  perching  upon  the  heads  of  strangers,  and 
when  at  last  it  carried  off  my  uncle's  wig  and  left  it 
dangling  in  the  top  of  the  tall  cypress,  well  out  of 
reach,  it  was  decided  that  a  tame  sparrow-hawk 
might  be  a  nuisance. 

Dr.  Coues  says  of  this  bird,  very  truly  and  descrip- 
tively,— 

"  The  prettiest  and  jauntiest  of  our  hawks  and  yet  no  prig ;  a  true 
falcon,  if  a  little  one,  with  as  noble  mien  and  as  much  pluck  as  the 
best  among  his  larger  brethren,  we  can  but  admire  him." 

It  seems  scarcely  necessary  to  enter  into  any  de- 
tails concerning  the  familiar  Fish-hawk.  Wherever 
they  are  found  they  are  recognized  as  harmless, — as 


BIRDS  OF  PREY.  177 

an  addition,  indeed,  to  the  landscape ;  and  the  hosts 
of  song-birds  that  seek  cover  when  other  hawks  come 
in  sight  pay  not  the  slightest  attention  to  this  one. 
Brief  extracts  from  Wilson  sum  up  the  life-history 
of  this  bird : 

"  This  formidable,  vigorous-winged,  and  well-known  bird  subsists 
altogether  on  the  finny  tribes  that  swarm  in  our  bays,  creeks,  and 
rivers,  procuring  his  prey  by  his  own  active  skill  and  industry,  and 
seeming  no  further  dependent  on  the  land  than  as  a  mere  resting- 
place,  or,  in  the  usual  season,  a  spot  of  deposit  for  his  nest,  eggs,  and 
young.  .  .  . 

"  The  Fish-hawk  is  migratory,  arriving  on  the  coasts  of  New  York 
and  New  Jersey  about  the  twenty-first  of  March,  and  retiring  to  the 
south  about  the  twenty-second  of  September.  Heavy  equinoctial 
storms  may  vary  these  periods  of  arrival  and  departure  a  few  days, 
but  long  observation  has  ascertained  that  they  are  kept  with  remark- 
able regularity.  .  .  . 

"  The  first  appearance  of  the  Fish -hawk  in  spring  is  welcomed  by 
the  fishermen,  as  a  happy  signal  of  the  approach  of  those  vast  shoals 
of  herring,  shad,  etc.,  etc.,  that  regularly  arrive  on  our  coasts  and 
enter  our  rivers  in  such  prodigious  multitudes.  .  .  . 

"  The  nest  of  the  Fish-hawk  is  usually  built  on  the  top  of  a  dead 
or  decaying  tree,  sometimes  not  more  than  fifteen,  often  upward  of 
fifty,  feet  from  the  ground." 

The  nest,  of  late  years,  has  been  found  occasionally 
placed  directly  upon  the  ground. 

We  now  come  to  a  strongly-marked  family  of 
birds  that  have  always  attracted  much  attention  to 
themselves,  principally  because  their  active  day  is 
our  night.  It  is  not  true  of  these  birds — the  owls — 
that  they  can  only  see  when  we  cannot,  and  that  they 
are  only  active  when  the  day  is  done.  There  are 
some  that  are  diurnal,  and  the  others  are  more 
strictly  crepuscular  than  nocturnal.  An  owl  is  by 
no  means  helpless  if  driven  from  his  retreat  at  noon- 


178  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

tide,  but  is,  of  course,  not  the  alert,  active,  intelligent 
bird  that  we  see  voluntarily  coming  out  in  the  gloam- 
ing, and  with  great,  staring,  but  not  stupid,  eyes,  sur- 
veying the  land  prior  to  a  night's  hunt  for  mice  or 
small  birds. 

Ridgway's  Manual  gives  us  eighteen  species  of 
owls,  and  the  inevitable  variety  bobs  up  on  nearly 
every  possible  occasion.  His  list  commences  with 
the  beautiful  Barn-owl,  a  cosmopolitan  bird ;  or  at 
least  the  various  "  species"  of  barn-owl  are  so  much 
alike  that  there  is  no  danger  of  mistaking  them  for 
any  other.  They  are  smooth-headed,  straw-colored, 
and  richly  sprinkled  with  pearly  spots ;  by  these  signs 
ye  may  know  them. 

The  distribution  of  this  owl  over  the  United  States 
is  somewhat  irregular,  and  in  New  England  it  is  rare, 
and  even  wanting  in  many  districts.  It  was  accounted 
rare,  too,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Philadelphia  some 
years  ago,  but  appears  to  be  pretty  common  now  in 
Central  New  Jersey,  and  I  suppose  also  in  Eastern 
Pennsylvania.  Warren  states  that  he  has  not  found 
it  breeding  in  this  part  of  the  State,  but  Gentry  has, 
and  I  have  found  several  nests  on  my  own  farm  in 
Mercer  County,  New  Jersey.  These  nests  were  all 
in  hollow  trees  (old  oaks),  and  in  one  instance  the 
birds  and  their  brood  remained  during  an  entire  year. 
Another  nest  in  the  same  tree  was  broken  up  and  one 
of  the  old  birds  captured,  but  the  bereaved  widower 
(or  widow)  soon  got  another  mate  and  was  to  all 
appearances  happy  as  ever. 

The  most  far-reaching,  shrillest  scream  that  I  have 
ever  heard  uttered  by  a  bird  was  made  by  one  of 


BIRDS  OF  PREY.  179 

these  owls  when  captured.  The  food  of  the  barn- 
owl  is  mice,  and  almost  exclusively  so,  and  it  need 
not  be  said,  therefore,  that  it  is  not  only  a  harmless 
bird,  but  an  eminently  useful  one. 

The  Long-eared  or  Cat-owl  is  a  well-known  spe- 
cies that  spends  the  day  in  a  hollow  tree  or  in  dense 
evergreens.  The  cry  at  night  has  been  fancied  to 
resemble  that  of  a  cat,  hence  one  of  its  common 
names.  Nuttall  speaks  of  the  cry  as  plaintive  or  a 
"  hollow  moaning,"  adding  that  when  many  birds  are 
together  the  sound  is  "  troublesome."  We  should 
think  it  might  be. 

The  following  from  Warren's  "  Birds  of  Pennsyl- 
vania" is  not  only  instructive  but  suggestive.  A  cor- 
respondent informs  the  author  that 

"  For  over  twenty  years  I  have  had  congregated  in  my  lawn  from 
fifty  to  seventy-five  owls.  They  are  peaceable  and  quiet;  only  on 
rare  occasions  would  you  know  one  was  about.  On  dull  days  and 
foggy  evenings  they  were  flying  about  in  all  directions.  Never  in 
all  that  time  have  I  missed  any  poultry  or  have  they  inflicted  any 
injury  on  anything  of  value. 

"  The  first  I  noticed  of  their  presence  was  the  discovery  of  quite 
a  pile  of  what  appeared  to  be  mice  hair  and  bones,  and  on  investi- 
gation found  the  Norway  fir  was  the  roosting-place  of  to  me  at  that 
time  a  vast  number  of  owls.  They  had  ejected  the  bolus  of  hair 
and  bones  apparently  of  an  army  of  tree-eating  destructive  mice, 
aiding  the  fruit-grower  against  one  of  the  worst  and  most  inveterate 
enemies.  .  .  .  Their  merits  would  fill  sheets,  the  demerits  nil." 

Dr.  Warren  remarks, — 

"  Unhappily,  during  the  past  four  or  five  years  there  has  been  a 
rapid  decrease  in  the  number  of  these  birds  in  many  localities  in 
Pennsylvania;  this  diminution,  I  judge,  is  largely  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  stuffed  heads  of  these  harmless  and  beneficial  owls  make  an 
attractive  ornament  for  lovely  woman's  head-wear." 


i8o  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

The  Short-eared  Owl  is  a  bird  of  very  different 
habits,  but  equally  harmless  and  beneficial.  It  is 
largely  migratory  and  to  a  limited  extent  resident. 
Its  common  name  of  Marsh-owl  is  an  appropriate 
one,  for  these  birds  appear  annually  in  considerable 
numbers  in  the  reedy  flats  and  low  meadows,  and 
have  learned  to  vary  their  ordinary  diet  with  a 
wounded  reed-bird  now  and  then.  I  have  often  been 
startled  by  having  one  of  these  birds  get  up  directly 
in  front  of  me  with  a  broad  spread  of  wing  and  a 
grunt  that  made  me  for  the  instant  uncertain  whether 
the  bird  was  an  owl  or  a  bittern.  In  the  lower  or 
tide-water  meadows  of  the  Delaware  River  this  owl 
occasionally  remains  throughout  the  year  and  nests 
here.  Their  nests,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  are 
placed  upon  the  ground,  but  in  one  instance,  in  a 
huge  hollow  of  an  old  maple,  I  found  the  nest  on 
the  bottom  of  this  natural  excavation.  The  opening 
leading  to  it  was  very  large,  and  the  whole  surround- 
ings in  nowise  suggested  the  dark  hole  that  would 
be  chosen  by  a  screech-owl  or  a  sparrow-hawk. 

The  Barred  Owl  is  not  common  in  all  localities, 
and  if  there  is  not  considerable  uncleared  land  in 
which  to  harbor,  is  only  a  casual  visitor;  but  the 
huge  fellow  with  his  pale  face  and  black  eyes  is  not 
forgotten  when  we  have  once  seen  him.  As  might 
be  inferred  from  the  size  of  this  owl,  it  is  not  averse 
to  a  pullet  for  a  meal,  and  so  has  brought  down  upon 
its  head  the  condemnation  of  the  poultry-keeper; 
but  the  damage  done  in  this  way  is  unquestionably 
greatly  exaggerated,  and,  of  course,  the  good  done 
in  destroying  mice  is  held  of  little  or  no  importance. 


BIRDS  OF  PREY.  181 

The  Great  Gray  Owl  of  the  north  is  the  largest 
of  our  owls.  If  it  is  seen  at  all  in  the  United  States, 
it  is  as  a  straggler  during  winter.  Several  have  been 
recorded  as  captured  in  New  England  and  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  Dr.  Wheaton  mentions  its  occasional 
occurrence  in  Ohio. 

"  At  Hudson's  Bay  and  Labrador  these  owls  reside  the  whole  year, 
and  were  found  in  the  Oregon  Territory  by  Mr.  Townsend.  They 
associate  in  pairs,  fly  very  low,  and  feed  on  mice  and  hares,  which 
they  seize  with  such  muscular  vigor  as  sometimes  to  sink  into  the 
snow  after  them  a  foot  deep.  With  ease  they  are  able  to  carry  off 
the  alpine  hare  alive  in  their  talons.  ...  It  is  common  on  the 
borders  of  Great  Bear  Lake,  and  there  and  in  higher  parallels  of 
latitude  it  must  pursue  its  prey  during  the  summer  months  by  day- 
light. It  keeps,  however,  within  the  woods,  and  does  not  frequent 
the  barren  grounds  like  the  Snowy  Owl,  nor  is  it  so  often  met  with 
in  broad  daylight  as  the  Hawk-owl,  but  hunts  principally  when  the 
sun  is  low."— NUTTALL. 

The  Acadian  Owl  is  the  smallest  member  of  the 
family  found  with  us.  It  is  more  nocturnal  than 
many  others  of  the  family,  and  this,  together  with  its 
size,  renders  its  discovery  difficult. 

In  Central  New  Jersey  this  owl  is  not  common,  its 
place  being  filled  by  the  little  screech-owl ;  but  I 
have  found  that  there  are  a  few  in  every  locality 
where  there  is  an  extensive  growth  of  cedars.  They 
are  so  sensitive  to  light  that  they  are  never  volun- 
tarily abroad  at  that  time  of  day,  and  when  insect- 
hunting  after  sunset  they  make  no  noise,  and  might 
readily  pass  for  a  whippoorwill.  One  that  I  found 
by  accident  in  a  cedar-tree  remained  in  the  neigh- 
borhood from  October  until  the  following  August, 
so  it  can  fairly  be  considered  as  a  resident  species. 
16 


1 82  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

May  it  not  be  that  they  are  really  more  plentiful  than 
we  suppose,  especially  in  pine  woods  or  dense  cedar 
swamps  ? 

The  Screech-owl,  or  Red  Owl,  or  Little  Gray  Owl, 
may  be  said  to  be  semi-domesticated,  and  it  is  about 
the  only  one  that  comes  to  town  and  makes  its  home 
in  the  larger  shade-trees,  or  the  spire  of  some  church 
that  is  without  a  bell.  In  the  country  a  hole  in  some 
apple-tree,  or  a  large  cavity  that  was  once  a  clean-cut 
woodpecker's  nest,  is  the  bird's  usual  home,  and 
here  it  remains  until  dusk,  when  it  comes  out  click- 
ing its  bill  with  a  snap  like  the  cocking  of  a  pistol,  and 
then  looking  about,  mutters  the  melancholy  tu-whoo- 
hoo-ho-ho-ho,  the  ending  of  it  a  most  doleful  quaver. 

As  to  its  food,  mice  of  course  largely  supply  that, 
but  this  owl  has  a  fancy,  too,  for  squabs,  and  can 
clean  out  a  dove-cot  if  so  inclined.  But  for  this  it 
would  be  as  harmless  as  the  Acadian  owl  or  "  Saw- 
whet,"  as  it  is  sometimes  called. 

Audubon  says  of  the  little  red  owl,  "  This  little 
fellow  is  generally  found  about  farm-houses,  orchards, 
and  gardens.  It  alights  on  the  roof,  the  fence,  or  the 
garden-gate,  and  utters  its  mournful  ditty."  I  once 
knew  it  to  go  a  little  nearer  to  civilization,  and  with 
tragic  result.  The  owl  went  into  the  terra-cotta  cap 
of  the  chimney  and  on  down  until  it  reached  a  stove- 
pipe hole,  and  then  into  the  pipe  to  the  crook  of  an 
"  elbow,"  and  there  it  rested.  Some  time  after  a  fire 
was  started  in  the  stove  and  it  "  smoked"  to  some 
purpose,  and  the  cause  was  only  ascertained  by  a 
violent  trembling  of  the  pipe  and  a  chattering  that 
would  have  founded  a  ghost  story  years  ago.  When 


BIRDS  OF  PREY.  183 

the  pipe  was  taken  down,  very  deliberately  emerged 
a  most  solemn-looking  owl  that  had  had  enough  of 
man's  contrivance, — so  very  much,  indeed,  that  it  laid 
down  and  died. 

The  Great  Horned  or  Eagle-owl  is  found  over  all 
of  Eastern  North  America.  It  is  a  splendid,  stately 
bird,  and  when  seen  perched  upon  a  tall  tree,  backed 
by  a  glowing  sunset,  is  a  picture  to  be  remembered. 
It  is  essentially  a  bird  of  the  woods,  or  at  least  of 
remote  localities  with  some  heavy  growths  of  timber, 
and  there  it  proclaims  its  presence  by  a  loud  hod-hod- 
hod-hod-hod. 

In  New  Jersey  it  is  principally  seen  as  a  winter 
visitor  in  the  settled  portions  of  the  State,  but  holds 
its  own  in  the  backwoods. 

They  feed  upon  small  mammals  generally,  and  in 
winter,  when  pressed  for  food,  attack  the  poultry.  A 
word  in  their  favor  is  that  they  attack  and  devour 
skunks.  Strange  taste ! 

The  Snowy  Owl  should  be  seen  alive,  and  in  an 
evergreen  forest,  to  be  fully  appreciated.  It  is  then 
truly  a  superb  bird.  This  owl  is  an  arctic  species, 
and  yet  does  not  require  a  particularly  cold  winter 
to  induce  it  to  come  very  far  south  of  its  proper 
habitat.  When  they  do  come  in  the  late  autumn 
southward,  they  generally  follow  the  sea-coast  and 
do  not  spread  over  the  back  country,  but  of  course 
there  are  exceptions,  and  it  was  such  a  case  that  I 
witnessed,  the  birds  being  on  the  Delaware  River 
shore,  seventy  miles  from  the  sea.  They  are  found 
less  frequently  in  the  interior  States  in  winter.  In 
New  England  their  appearance  is  regular. 


1 84  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

Wilson  says, — 

"  The  usual  food  of  this  species  is  said  to  be  hares,  grouse,  rabbits, 
ducks,  mice,  and  even  carrion.  Unlike  most  of  his  tribe,  he  hunts 
by  day  as  well  as  by  twilight,  and  is  particularly  fond  of  frequenting 
the  shores  and  banks  of  shallow  rivers,  over  the  surface  of  which  he 
slowly  sails,  or  sits  on  a  rock  a  little  raised  above  the  water,  watching 
for  fish." 

Nuttall  draws  this  pretty  pen-picture : 

"  His  white  robe  renders  him  scarcely  discernible  from  the  over- 
whelming snows  where  he  reigns,  like  the  boreal  spirit  of  the  storm. 
His  loud,  hollow,  barking  growl,  'wAowA,  'whowh,  'whowh  hah,  hah, 
hah,  hah,  and  other  dismal  cries,  sound  like  the  unearthly  ban  of 
Cerberus ;  and  heard  amidst  a  region  of  cheerless  solitude,  his  lonely 
and  terrific  voice  augments  rather  than  relieves  the  horrors  of  the 
scene." 

The  beautiful  Hawk-owl  is  another  arctic  bird  that 
but  rarely  comes  even  to  Southern  New  England, 
but  which  does  come  even  to  New  Jersey.  As  the 
name  indicates,  the  bird  is  as  much  a  hawk  as  an 
owl,  a  connecting  link,  as  it  were,  and  this  has  the 
more  significance  in  that  the  bird  is  diurnal. 

In  the  West  there  occurs  in  great  abundance  the 
Burrowing-owl,  or,  as  Dr.  Coues  states  it, — 

"  It  is  the  only  bird  of  its  family  inhabiting,  in  any  numbers,  the 
entirely  treeless  regions  of  the  West,  and  may  be  considered  charac- 
teristic of  the  plains.  Wherever  it  can  find  shelter  in  the  holes  of 
such  animals  as  wolves,  foxes,  and  badgers,  and  especially  of  the 
various  species  of  marmot  squirrels,  there  it  is  found  in  abundance, 
and  in  not  a  few  instances  small  colonies  are  observed  living  apart 
from  their  ordinary  associates  in  holes  apparently  dug  by  themselves." 

J.  K.  Lord,  in  his  "  Naturalist  in  British  Columbia," 
remarks, — 


BIRDS  OF  PREY.  185 

"  Living  near  the  water,  but  occasionally  wandering  amongst  the 
grass,  are  quantities  of  brilliant  green  snakes,  the  green  racer.  .  .  . 
Not  only  does  it  bask  on  the  grassy  banks,  or  if  frightened  glide 
through  the  herbage  with  arrow-like  rapidity,  but  climbs  trees  with 
the  ease  and  rapidity  of  a  squirrel.  In  pursuit  of  tree-frogs,  its  favor- 
ite food,  the  snakes  so  nearly  resemble  green  succulent  branches  that 
I  have  often  put  my  hand  on  them  when  birds'-nesting  or  seeking 
for  insects.  It  always  startled  me,  though  I  constantly  took  them  in 
my  hand  as  I  should  a  plant  or  a  caterpillar  for  examination.  This 
snake's  general  residence  is  in  the  hole  of  a  ground-squirrel,  which 
is  also  chosen  as  a  nesting-place  by  the  Western  burrowing-owl. 

"  I  dug  out  several  squirrel-holes  whilst  at  this  camp ;  in  one  I 
found  two  eggs  of  the  burrowing-owl,  the  female  owl,  a  racer-snake, 
and  an  old  lady-squirrel.  The  burrowing-owl  is  strictly  of  diurnal 
habits,  and  feeds  principally  on  crickets,  grasshoppers,  large  beetles, 
and  larvae.  I  do  not  think  it  ever  captures  small  animals  or  birds ;  a 
peaceful,  harmless  bird,  with  little  to  boast  of  in  appearance,  voice, 
or  wisdom." 

The  Pygmy-owl  is  the  smallest  of  the  race,  and 
found  only  on  the  Pacific  coast.  Lord's  account  is, 
in  part,  as  follows : 

"  Their  flight — short,  quick,  and  jerking,  similar  to  that  of  the 
sparrow-hawk — is  quite  unlike  the  muffled,  noiseless  flap  of  the  night- 
owl,  as  it  sails  along  over  marsh  and  meadow  in  pursuit  of  mice, 
lizards,  or  any  benighted  rodent  that  has  incautiously  strayed  from 
its  place  of  safety.  The  food  of  this  little  owl  is  entirely  insectivor- 
ous, its  favorite  morsel  a  fat  grasshopper  or  field-cricket :  not  that  it 
by  any  means  refuses  or  objects  to  breakfast  on  an  early  riser,  be  it 
beetle  or  butterfly.  .  .  . 

"  When  in  pursuit  of  food  the  owls  perch  on  a  small  branch  near 
the  ground,  sit  bolt  upright  in  an  indolent,  drowsy  manner  until  their 
quick  eye  detects  an  insect  moving  on  the  plain ;  then  they  pounce 
suddenly  upon  it,  hold  it  down  with  their  small  but  powerful  claws, 
and  with  their  sharp  beaks  tear  the  captive  to  pieces.  .  .  .  Hunger 
satiated,  they  return  to  their  tree,  and,  cuddling  lovingly  together,  sit 
and  doze  away  their  time,  protected  from  the  blazing  rays  of  the 
mid-day  sun  by  the  foliage  of  the  sturdy  oak.  .  .  . 
16* 


1 86  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

"  Early  in  May  two  small  eggs  were  laid, — a  large  knot-hole  in  the 
branch  of  the  oak  being  selected  as  the  nesting-place.  .  .  . 

"  The  Indians,  without  exception,  hold  this  little  owl  in  terrible 
dread.  To  see  one  in  the  day  or  to  hear  its  feeble  cry,  not  unlike  a 
stifled  scream,  is  a  fatal  omen  to  brave  or  squaw;  the  hearer  or  near 
relative  is  sure  to  die  ere  the  end  of  the  moon.  To  kill  one  is  an 
unpardonable  heresy." 


WILD   TURKEY. 


GAME-BIRDS  AND  PIGEONS.  187 


CHAPTER    IX. 

GAME-BIRDS   AND    PIGEONS. 

BY  "  Game-birds"  is  meant  those  that  are  popu- 
larly known  as  Grouse,  Quails,  Partridges,  Ptar- 
migan, and  the  Wild  Turkey.  Of  these  so-called 
gallinaceous  birds  we  have  a  considerable  variety, 
and  but  for  the  greed  of  sportsmen,  want  of  con- 
science of  pot-shooters,  and  asininity  of  legislators, 
would  have  scattered  over  the  whole  country  a  vastly 
greater  number  of  individual  birds ;  for  we  hear  the 
cry  of  late  from  every  quarter,  "  Game  is  getting 
scarce."  Nevertheless,  everybody  chases  the  last 
bird  to  death,  saying,  "  If  I  didn't,  some  one  else 
would." 

In  the  extreme  South  and  Southwest  there  are  a 
few  doves  and  pigeons  peculiar  to  those  regions ;  but 
in  the  United  States  generally  there  are  but  the  Wild 
Pigeon  and  Turtle-dove,  and  the  former  is  pretty 
nearly  blotted  out  of  existence. 

The  common  Eastern  Quail,  or  Bob- white,  is  to  all 
a  familiar  bird.  It  probably  has  not  a  single  habit 
not  thoroughly  well  known.  It  is  a  resident  bird, 
except  when  nesting,  gregarious,  and  if  not  harassed 
beyond  all  endurance  would  be  quite  tame  and 
familiar.  It  appears  to  know  that  at  certain  seasons 
it  is  free  from  molestation,  and  comes  out  into  the 


1 88  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

road,  dusts  itself  in  the  lane,  and,  perching  on  a  fence- 
post,  whistles  the  two  short,  clear  notes  that  have 
given  it  one  of  the  many  common  names  by  which 
we  know  it.  When  the  brood  is  young  it  is  so  well 
cared  for  that  we  do  not  often  see  either  parents  or 
offspring;  but  in  autumn,  when  the  young  are  strong 
of  wing,  a  greater  caution  comes  upon  them  all,  and 
they  endeavor  to  keep  quite  clear  of  man.  They  are 
not  equal  to  it,  and  suffer  in  consequence,  being 
chased  by  dogs  and  hunters  until  their  life  must  be 
a  veritable  burden;  but  in  winter,  when  the  deep 
snows  have  come,  these  same  quails  come  without 
hesitation  to  the  farm-yard  and  ask  a  portion  of  the 
poultry's  daily  meal.  They  are  tame  again,  and, 
being  so,  are  very  entertaining. 

The  Mountain-partridge,  or  Quail  of  California,  is 
"  much  the  largest  and  handsomest  of  this  country. 
Its  distribution  is  limited  and  rather  peculiar,  as  it 
inhabits  almost  exclusively  the  mountain  ranges  of 
Oregon  and  California."  This  bird  in  a  general  way 
has  the  habits  of  the  Eastern  bird. 

There  are  several  others  in  the  Southwest,  their 
habits  varying  only  so  much  as  the  country  calls  for. 
They  are  reported  as  affording  good  sport,  and  what 
persecution  they  suffer  in  that  direction  now  will  be 
as  nothing  to  what  is  in  store  for  them  when  the 
now  sparsely-settled  region  is  more  generally  occu- 
pied. The  Pacific  slope  and  the  Western  plains  be- 
yond the  Mississippi  are  the  homes  of  the  grouse  of 
this  country.  It  is  true  that  we  have  one  species 
still  here  in  the  East,  and  formerly  had  two,  and  that 
there  are  ptarmigan  in  Canada  and  Northern  New 


GAME-BIRDS  AND  PIGEONS.  189 

England,  but  not  until  we  get  far  westward  of  all 
this  region  do  the  grouse  become  a  really  prominent 
feature  of  the  avi-fauna. 

The  Dusky  Grouse  is  one  of  these  Western  forms. 
Dr.  Lord  says  of  it, — 

"  It  arrives  at  Vancouver  Island,  at  Nesqually,  and  along  the  banks 
of  the  Fraser  River  about  the  end  of  March  and  beginning  of  April. 
The  male  bird,  on  its  first  arrival,  sits  on  the  summit  of  a  tall  pine- 
tree  or  on  a  rock,  announcing  his  arrival  by  a  kind  of  love-song, — a 
sort  of  booming  noise  repeated  at  short  intervals,  and  so  deceptive 
that  I  have  often  stood  under  the  tree  where  the  bird  was  perched 
and  imagined  the  sound  some  distance  away.*  It  is  extremely  diffi- 
cult to  see  this  bird  when  you  know  it  is  in  the  tree,  so  much  does  it 
resemble  a  knob  or  the  end  of  a  dead  branch.  Soon  after  their  ar- 
rival they  pair,  but  during  the  whole  nesting-time  the  male  continues 
the  booming  noise." 

The  Canada  Grouse,  as  its  name  implies,  is  a 
northern  bird  that  ranges  more  beyond  our  boun- 
daries than  within  them,  but  is  found  in  "  the  timber 
districts  in  Northern  New  England."  They  are  a 
bird  of  the  pine  and  spruce  woods,  and  on  products 
of  this  vegetation  they  are  said  largely  to  feed. 

The  Ruffed  Grouse,  which  in  the  Middle  States  is 
usually  called  the  "  Pheasant,"  may  be  said  to  be  "  the 
survivors  of  a  once  numerous  tribe,"  as  we  speak  of 
Indians ;  for  certainly,  common  as  this  bird  still  is, 
it  is  as  nothing  compared  to  half  a  century  ago,  and 
judging  from  references  in  old  manuscripts  presum- 
ably to  this  bird,  they  at  one  time  or  at  the  settle- 
ment of  the  country  were  extremely  abundant. 
"  Their  drumming  in  the  woods  would  sound  often 
as  if  every  hive  of  bees  was  swarming." 

Wilson  says  of  this  bird, — 


190  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

"  Its  favorite  places  of  resort  are  high  mountains  covered  with  ihe 
balsam  pine,  hemlock,  and  such  like  evergreens.  Unlike  the  Pin- 
nated Grouse,  it  always  prefers  the  woods ;  is  seldom  or  never  found 
in  open  plains ;  but  loves  the  pine-sheltered  declivities  of  mountains 
near  streams  of  water.  This  great  difference  of  disposition  in  two 
species,  whose  food  seems  to  be  nearly  the  same,  is  very  extraor- 
dinary. In  those  open  plains  called  the  Barrens  of  Kentucky  the 
Pinnated  Grouse  was  seen  in  great  numbers,  but  none  of  the  Ruffed  ; 
while  in  the  high  groves  with  which  that  singular  tract  of  country  is 
interspersed  the  latter,  or  Pheasant,  was  frequently  met  with,  but  not  a 
single  individual  of  the  former. 

"  The  native  haunts  of  the  Pheasant  being  a  cold,  high,  mountain- 
ous, and  woody  country,  it  is  natural  to  expect  that  as  we  descend 
thence  to  the  sea-shores,  and  the  low,  flat,  and  warm  climate  of  the 
Southern  States,  these  birds  should  become  more  rare,  and  such  in- 
deed is  the  case.  In  the  lower  parts  of  Carolina,  Georgia,  and 
Florida  they  are  very  seldom  observed,  but  as  we  advance  inland  to 
the  mountains  they  again  make  their  appearance.  In  the  lower  parts 
of  New  Jersey  we  indeed  occasionally  meet  with  them,  but  this  is 
owing  to  the  more  northerly  situation  of  the  country,  for  even  here 
they  are  far  less  numerous  than  among  the  mountains.  .  .  . 

"  The  manners  of  the  Pheasant  are  solitary ;  they  are  seldom  found 
in  coveys  of  more  than  four  or  five  together,  and  more  usually  in 
pairs  or  singly.  They  leave  their  sequestered  haunts  in  the  woods 
early  in  the  morning,  and  seek  the  path  or  road  to  pick  up  gravel 
and  glean  among  the  droppings  of  the  horses.  In  travelling  among 
the  mountains  that  bound  the  Susquehanna,  I  was  always  able  to 
furnish  myself  with  an  abundant  supply  of  these  birds  every  morn- 
ing without  leaving  the  path.  If  the  weather  be  foggy  or  lowering, 
they  are  sure  to  be  seen  in  such  situations.  They  generally  move 
along  with  great  stateliness,  their  broad  fan-like  tail  spread  out.  .  .  ." 

The  ruffed  grouse  in  what  may  be  called  "  ancient 
history"  is  more  interesting  than  the  present  hum- 
drum life  it  is  forced  to  lead.  In  the  woods  and 
swamps  of  Central  New  Jersey  these  birds  used  to 
congregate  in  winter  by  the  thousands.  As  they 
were  rare  in  summer,  it  was  supposed  (and  rightly) 


GAME-BIRDS  AND  PIGEONS.  191 

that  they  came  down  from  the  mountains  a  few  miles 
up  the  river  and  above  tide-water.  It  was,  in  the 
closing  years  of  the  last  century,  a  common  sport,  in- 
dulged in  by  all  on  the  farms,  to  surround  these  birds, 
and  when  "  a  great  host  were  gathered  in  a  few  trees, 
to  fire  at  a  given  signal."  The  old  flint-locks,  loaded 
with  bits  of  nails  and  cut  pieces  of  sheet-lead,  seem 
now  to  be  poor  weapons  indeed,  but  they  wrought 
fearful  havoc,  and  the  representatives  from  different 
farms  would  go  home  each  laden  with  a  "  big  mess 
of  pa'tridges."  In  those  days,  too,  they  were  netted 
in  open  places  in  the  woods,  and  every  man  who 
went  into  the  woods  to  cut  firewood  or  fence-rails 
took  a  gun  with  him,  and  usually  brought  home  some 
of  these  birds.  A  century  has  brought  about  won- 
derful changes  in  the  bird-world,  and  while  we  are 
engaged  in  contemplating  what  is,  and  sometimes  re- 
gretting the  absence  of  what  was,  we  seem  never 
willing  to  consider  what  will  be.  It  is  a  great  mis- 
take. The  pheasant  would  still  be  found  even  in  our 
smallest  bits  of  swamp  and  woodland,  even  away 
from  the  mountains,  if  given  a  chance. 

To  stock  a  locality  in  May  and  kill  every  bird  in 
November,  as  is  done  with  quails,  does  not  promise 
much  for  the  future. 

"  Ptarmigan  may  be  said  to  be  simply  Grouse  which  turn  white  in 
winter.  They  are  the  only  members  of  this  family  of  birds  in  which 
such  a  remarkable  seasonal  change  of  plumage  occurs.  All  the 
Ptarmigans  are  Grouse  of  boreal  or  alpine  distribution,  only  reaching 
sea-level  in  the  higher  latitudes,  elsewhere  confined  to  mountains." 
— COUES. 

"The  Willow  Ptarmigan   ranges  through  boreal 


192  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

America  from  Labrador  to  Alaska."  This  bird  and 
the  Rock  Ptarmigan,  which  appears  to  be  more  a 
dweller  of  the  open  country  than  the  preceding,  feed 
on  berries  and  other  products  of  the  scanty  herbage 
of  the  far  north,  and  even  eat  lichens,  which  they  find 
by  burrowing  in  the  snow. 
Nuttall  states,— 

"  These  birds  search  out  their  food  chiefly  in  the  morning  and 
evening,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  day  are  observed  sometimes  to 
bask  in  the  sun.  Like  the  Eskimo,  .  .  .  whose  lot  is  cast  in  the 
same  cold  and  dreary  region,  they  seek  protection  from  the  extreme 
severity  of  the  climate  by  dwelling  in  the  snow ;  it  is  here  they  com- 
monly roost  and  work  out  subterraneous  paths." 

These  birds  are  not  the  only  ones  that  work  out 
subnivean  passages  to  reach  their  food.  The  late 
Dr.  Lockwood  has  given  us  an  excellent  account  of 
the  manner  in  which  the  little  snow-birds  cleared 
away  the  snow  and  got  at  the  berries  of  poke-weed ; 
and  even  used  "their  snow  dug-out  ...  as  a  cozy 
asylum  from  the  cutting  wind  by  day." 

The  Prairie-chicken,  or  Pinnated  Grouse,  has  been 
too  long  and  too  well  known  to  need  further  descrip- 
tion. This  is  a  bird  of  the  prairies,  and  was  supposed 
to  have  been  found  all  the  way  eastward  to  the  At- 
lantic coast,  Nuttall  speaking  of  their  occurrence  on 
the  grouse  plains  of  New  Jersey.  These  plains,  or 
the  "  barrens,"  are  now  innocent  of  anything  like  a 
grouse;  but  on  Martha's  Vineyard  the  Heath-hen 
is  still  living  and,  it  is  said,  carefully  preserved.  It 
is  said  to  be  a  bird  of  open  woods  rather  than  open 
country  and  to  feed  upon  acorns.  The  heath-hen  was 
not  uncommon  in  New  Jersey  in  colonial  days,  and  was 


GAME-BIRDS  AND  PIGEONS.  193 

not  exterminated  until  within  the  past  fifty  years,  a 
few  remaining  in  the  "  barrens,"  or  grouse  plains,  as 
Nuttall  called  them. 

The  Cock  of  the  Plains  is  thus  described  by  Dr.  J. 
K.  Lord: 


"  These  grouse  live  entirely  on  the  open  sandy  plains,  their  princi- 
pal food  being  the  wild-sage,  which  imparts  such  a  rank,  unpleasant 
flavor  to  the  flesh  that  one  might  almost  as  well  chew  the  bitter  bush 
as  eat  any  part  of  a  sage-cock.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  obtain  the 
cocks  in  full  nuptial  costume,  when  their  necks  are  fringed  with  the 
most  delicate  pinnated  feathers.  The  meeting  of  two  cocks  is  sure 
to  result  in  a  fight,  during  which  the  greater  part  of  these  ornamental 
feathers  are  usually  torn  out.  Unless  the  birds  are  killed  prior  to  a 
hostile  encounter,  their  plumage  is  never  perfect,  as  they  only  have 
these  fine  neck  and  back  plumes  at  mating-time. 

"  It  is  impossible  for  any  one  to  avoid  being  at  once  impressed 
with  the  extraordinary  adaptation  of  the  sage-cock's  color  to  the 
localities  in  which  he  lives;  the  mottlings  of  brown,  black,  yellow, 
and  white  are  so  exactly  like  the  lichens  covering  the  rocks,  the 
stalks  of  the  wild-sage,  and  the  dried  leaves,  bunch-grass,  and  dead 
twigs  scattered  over  the  sandy  wastes,  that  it  is  impossible  to  make 
them  out  to  be  birds  when  they  crouch  close  to  the  ground.  Their 
greatest  enemies  are  eagles  and  large  falcons,  which,  ever  soaring 
over  the  plains  or  perching  on  some  lofty  rock-pinnacle,  scan  the  far 
distance  for  any  moving  objects  on  which  to  pounce.  The  poor 
sage-cocks  have  no  shelter;  not  a  tree  or  shrub  save  the  pungent 
sand-plant  is  there  to  hide  them;  but  their  marvellous  coloration 
compensates  for  lack  of  other  protection,  deceiving  even  the  sharp- 
eyed  birds  of  prey." 

"  The  Sharp-tailed  Grouse,"  according  to  the  same  author,  "  is  alike 
estimable,  whether  we  consider  him  in  reference  to  his  field  qualities, 
or  viewed  as  a  table  dainty,  when  bowled  over  and  grilled.  Though 
his,  flesh  is  brown,  yet  for  delicacy  of  flavor  I'll  back  him  against 
any  other  bird  in  the  Western  wilds.  .  .  .  Its  favorite  haunt  is  on 
open  grassy  plains, — in  the  morning  keeping  itself  concealed  in  the 
thick,  long  grass,  but  coming  in  about  mid-day  to  the  streams  to  drink 
and  dust  itself  in  the  sandy  banks ;  it  seldom  goes  into  the  timber. 
I  n  17 


194  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

and  if  it  does,  always  remains  close  to  the  prairie,  never  retiring  into 
the  depths  of  the  forest. 

"  They  lay  their  eggs  on  the  open  prairie  in  a  tuft  of  grass  or  by  the 
foot  of  a  small  hillock,  nesting  early  in  the  spring,  and  laying  from 
twelve  to  fourteen  eggs.  .  .  .  They  first  appear  in  coveys  or  broods 
about  the  middle  of  August.  .  .  .  About  the  middle  of  September 
and  on  into  October  they  begin  to  pack ;  first  two  or  three  coveys  get 
together,  then  flock  joins  flock,  until  they  gradually  accumulate  into 
hundreds.  On  the  first  appearance  of  snow  they  begin  to  perch, 
settling  on  high,  dead  pine-trees,  the  dead  branches  being  a  favorite 
locality." 


The  Wild  Turkey,  that  in  the  seventeenth  century 
was  common  and  in  the  eighteenth  abundant,  has  in 
this  nineteenth  been  exterminated  over  the  greater 
portion  of  its  original  range.  West  of  the  Missis- 
sippi it  is  yet  found,  but  as  we  approach  the  Rocky 
Mountain  region  another  species  takes  its  place.  Dr. 
Warren  reports  that  it  is  still  found  in  Pennsylvania, 
but  at  scattered  points,  and  they  will  soon  be  rooted 
out  even  from  them.  He  says  also,  that  people  have 
expressed  to  him  the  view  that  some  of  the  so-called 
wild  turkeys  are  domestic  birds  that  have  wandered 
off  and  become  "  as  wild  and  cunning  as  the  typical 
Meleagris  gallopavo  which  in  former  years  was  abun- 
dant." There  is  excellent  reason  for  believing  that 
this  is  quite  true,  for  it  is  well  known  that  the  birds 
are  both  given  to  wandering  and  to  great  cunning  in 
concealing  their  nests  and  eggs. 

Of  the  pigeons  and  doves  of  the  United  States,  the 
Passenger-pigeon  of  the  country  eastward,  and  well 
remembered  by  many  people,  is  the  most  interesting ; 
but  comparing  what  we  read  with  what  we  see  nowa- 
days, it  is  quite  evident  that  this  bird,  like  the  turkey, 


GAME-BIRDS  AND  PIGEONS. 


195 


Wild  Pigeon. 


will  soon  be  a  matter  of  history.  In  many  locali- 
ties, especially  along  our  Atlantic  seaboard  tier 
of  States,  the  bird 
is  now  quite  un- 
known where  fifty 
years  ago  it  an- 
nually made  its 
appearance.  In 
enormous  num- 
bers these  pigeons 
would  come,  re- 
main a  few  days, 
and  pass  on.  The 
graphic  account  given  by  Audubon,  that  was  ridi- 
culed so  by  European  naturalists,  is  true  to  the 
letter.  In  November,  1865,  I  saw  a  flock  that  must 
have  contained  three  or  four  thousand  birds.  This 
was  in  Monroe  County,  Pennsylvania.  Since  then  I 
have  seldom  seen  even  single  birds.  Dr.  Warren 
reports  them  as  scattered  about  the  State,  but  no- 
where in  great  numbers.  They  will  soon  disappear 
from  this  section,  and  the  same  will  happen  in  the 
West.  They  are  captured  there  by  "  netting,"  and 
the  opinion  has  been  expressed,  and  with  good  reason, 
that  "  the  pigeon  will  soon  join  the  buffalo  on  that 
list  so  disgraceful  to  humanity,  '  the  extinct'  species, 
— a  list  that  will  be  filled  rapidly  if  a  check  is  not 
put  on  men's  avarice  and  the  law's  shameful  negli- 
gence." (Chamberlain.) 

The  following  is  from  Wheaton's  "  Birds  of  Ohio  :" 

"Mr.  Read  states  that  in  the  spring  of  1851  they  appeared  'in 
vast  numbers  in  the  fields,  feeding  upon  the  dead  grasshoppers,  the 


196  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

remains  of  the  countless  hordes  which  well-nigh  devoured  "  every 
green  thing"  during  the  preceding  summer  and  fall,'  a  statement 
which  will  surprise  ornithologists  who  have  been  accustomed  to  con- 
sider birds  of  this  family  as  exclusively  vegetarian." 

The  Turtle-dove  is  everywhere  well  known.  In 
the  Middle  States  it  is  both  resident  and  migratory, 
and  while  shy  and  keeping  much  out  of  sight,  is 
nevertheless  not  a  rare  bird  nor  one  difficult  to  find 
if  you  take  the  trouble  to  look  it  up.  At  certain 
seasons  they  are  often  seen  in  public  roads  dusting 
themselves,  and  I  have  known  them  to  build  their 
nests  very  near  to  dwellings ;  but  for  all  this,  they  are 
a  bird  of  the  out-of-the-way  nooks  and  corners  of 
the  farms,  and  keep  pretty  close  to  the  woods  the 
greater  part  of  the  time.  Their  flight-power  is  very 
good,  and  when  you  startle  them  they  speed  away 
with  a  whistling  of  the  wings  that  is  as  characteristic 
as  the  d -koo-koo-koo  that  we  hear  all  day  long  from 
April  until  the  end  of  summer. 

Doves  are  not,  like  the  wild  pigeon,  gregarious,  and 
yet  we  sometimes  see  a  great  many  in  a  veiy  short 
space  of  time ;  but  however  abundant,  it  is  always  a 
close  association  of  individuals  that  move  quite  in- 
dependently. They  do  not  seem  to  "  flock"  like 
blackbirds. 

This  dove  is  found  as  far  west  as  Arizona,  and  Dr. 
Coues  states  that  it  there  builds  its  nest  sometimes 
in  such  thorny  bushes  that  it  seemed  impossible  the 
bird  should  itself  escape  injury.  This  was  to  protect 
itself  and  young  against  reptiles  of  many  kinds. 
Even  in  such  a  benighted  region  the  doves  are  very 
abundant. 


GAME-BIRDS  AND  PIGEONS.  197 

"The  Ground-dove  is  a  native  of  North  and  South  Carolina, 
Georgia,  the  new  State  of  Louisiana,  Florida,  and  the  islands  of  the 
West  Indies.  In  the  latter  it  is  frequently  kept  in  cages,  is  esteemed 
excellent  for  the  table,  and  honored  by  the'  French  planters  with  the 
name  of  Ortolan.  They  are  numerous  in  the  sea  islands  on  the  coast 
of  Carolina  and  Georgia;  fly  in  flocks  or  coveys  of  fifteen  or  twenty ; 
seldom  visit  the  woods,  preferring  open  fields  and  plantations ;  are 
almost  constantly  on  the  ground,  and  when  disturbed  fly  to  a  short 
distance  and  again  alight.  They  have  a  frequent  jetting  motion  with 
the  tail;  feed  on  rice,  various  seeds,  and  berries." — WILSON. 


17* 


198  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE   SHORE   BIRDS. 

WHILE,  in  considering  the  habits  of  the  many 
birds  to  which  we  have  referred,  we  have 
been  as  much  about  the  wet  meadows  as  the  dry 
fields,  and  along  the  river-shore  as  in  the  upland 
woods,  nevertheless,  the  birds  that  have  been  brought 
to  notice  were  essentially  land  birds  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  kingfisher,  which  we  can  only  think  of  as 
associated  with  the  quiet  mill-pond  or  some  little 
creek  where  the  silvery  minnows  flash  in  the  ripples. 
But  there  are  birds  that  can  only  exist  by  the  water, 
or  at  least  depend  upon  it  for  their  food-supply. 
Every  land  bird  can  live  on  the  river-shore  or  near 
the  ocean,  but  not  all  "  shore  birds"  can  wander  from 
the  watery  wastes,  or  exchange  the  dusky  avenues  of 
a  forest  for  the  swamps,  the  marsh,  the  treacherous 
quicksands,  and  the  banks  of  the  river. 

The  shore  birds  of  the  United  States  are  divided 
into  six  groups  or  families,  some  of  very  few  and 
others  of  many  species,  making  sixty-five  in  all.  The 
greater  number  of  these  are  birds  of  the  sea-shore, 
some  seldom  leaving  it,  and  others  only  at  certain 
seasons,  when  they  follow  up  the  main  watercourses 
for  long  distances,  and,  leaving  them,  pass  to  the 
shores  of  our  most  insignificant  creeks.  But  these 


THE  SHORE  BIRDS.  199 

instances  are  comparatively  few,  and  it  is  only  where 
there  are  large  bodies  of  water  that  shore  birds  gen- 
erally are  likely  to  be  found.  Unless  large,  these 
birds  are  not  conspicuous,  and  while  nearly  all  have 
pleasant,  piping  notes,  they  cannot  be  considered  as 
musical.  To  the  world  at  large  they  are  of  interest 
as  excellent  eating;  if  not  that,  they  are  ignored. 
They  are  extremely  entertaining,  however,  to  the 
naturalist,  and  whoever  is  fond  of  seeing  the  birds 
that  Nature  has  designed  for  certain  localities  in 
those  localities,  will  regret  that  many  such  are  yearly 
becoming  less  abundant.  This  is  particularly  true 
of  many  "  shore  birds,"  and  what  Turnbull,  in  his 
beautiful  volume  on  "  Birds  of  East  Pennsylvania," 
has  said  of  "Birds  which  have  disappeared "  will  bear 
repeating. 

"  Since  the  eastern  provinces  have  become  more  densely  populated 
many  of  the  larger  and  more  wary  species  of  birds  have  changed 
their  course  of  migration,  and  now  reach  the  arctic  regions  by  a  route 
taking  them  towards  the  interior  of  the  continent ;  and  there  are  also 
some  formerly  known  as  summer  visitants  which  have  now  a  more 
southern  limit.  Parrots,  for  example,  are  at  the  present  day  [this 
was  written  in  1868]  rarely  found  north  of  the  Carolinas ;  while  Wild 
Turkeys,  which  were  once  abundant,  although  still  to  be  met  with  in 
suitable  localities,  are  now  in  very  limited  numbers.  In  a  rare  tract 
printed  in  1648,  entitled  'A  Description  of  New  Albion,' — a  name 
at  one  time  applied  to  this  part  of  the  country, — we  read  of  four  or 
five  hundred  Turkeys  forming  a  single  flock.  The  Pinnated  Grouse 
is  another  interesting  bird  which  has  become  nearly  extinct  [quite  so 
now]  in  East  Pennsylvania,  and  entirely  so,  it  is  believed,  in  New 
Jersey.  The  Whooping  Crane  may  also  be  said  to  have  disappeared, 
not  even  a  straggler  having  been  seen  for  some  years.  It  likewise 
seems  to  have  been  once  very  plentiful,  for  we  read  in  Hakluyt's 
'  Voyages,'  ed.  1589,  fol.  729,  that  Captain  Philip  Amadas  and  his 
fellow-adventurers,  who  visited  and  explored  the  coast  in  1584, 


2oo  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

'  having  discharged  their  harquebus-shot,  such  a  flock  of  Cranes  (the 
most  part  white)  arose,  with  such  a  crye,  redoubled  by  many  ecchoes, 
as  if  an  armie  of  men  had  showted  together.'  The  Brown  or  Sand- 
hill Crane  has  not  been  seen  in  this  region  for  many  years  past, 
although  it  is  still  not  uncommon  in  the  West.  The  learned  Pro- 
fessor Kalm,  who  travelled  in  this  country  in  1748-49,  and  resided 
some  time  at  Swedesborough,  New  Jersey,  noticed  this  bird  on  its 
northern  flight  about  the  middle  of  February.  At  that  time  they 
usually  alighted,  but  remained  for  a  short  time  only,  every  spring,  in 
comparatively  limited  numbers ;  but  he  was  assured  by  a  colonist, 
above  ninety  years  of  age,  that  in  his  youth  (or  about  the  year  1670) 
Cranes  came  in  hundreds.  The  Rough-billed  Pelican  was  also 
frequent  on  the  Hudson  and  the  Delaware,  but  is  now  a  very  rare 
visitant  to  the  last-mentioned  river  only. 

"  While  ornithologists,  however,  have  to  deplore  the  diminution 
in  the  number  of  the  more  conspicuous  birds  which  has  taken  place 
during  the  last  century,  it  is  gratifying  to  find  a  very  sensible  increase 
in  the  number  of  other  species.  Many  of  the  Warblers,  for  example, 
then  considered  rare,  are  now  found  to  be  abundant, — a  beneficial 
increase,  for  which  we  are  no  doubt  indebted  to  the  fact  of  our  effi- 
cient game-laws  providing  for  the  protection  of  insectivorous  birds. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  constant  shooting  of  '  Bay  Snipe'  and 
shore  birds  generally  by  market  gunners,  always  on  the  watch  for 
their  arrival,  has  seriously  reduced  the  flocks  of  many  species  formerly 
known  to  abound  in  districts  now  but  thinly  peopled  by  this  interest- 
ing class.  The  late  Mr.  George  Ord  assured  the  writer  that,  during 
his  excursions  to  the  coast  with  Wilson,  the  distinguished  ornitholo- 
gist, the  Avocet,  Stilt,  and  other  Waders  which  are  becoming  rare  in 
our  day  were  then  quite  plentiful,  so  that  there  is  every  reason  to 
fear  that  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  more  they  also  may  disappear. 

"  In  Chesapeake  Bay,  the  winter  resort  of  a  great  variety  of  wild 
fowl,  birds,  although  still  numerous,  are,  through  the  same  influences, 
becoming  every  year  less  abundant,  and  unless  the  present  reprehen- 
sible and  most  destructive  system  of  shooting — wholesale  slaughter 
it  may  with  propriety  be  called — be  rigidly  put  down  [it  since  has 
been],  the  decrease  will,  in  all  likelihood,  become  permanent,  to  the 
great  regret  of  every  true-minded  naturalist.  We  have  but  to  look 
into  the  history  of  some  of  the  birds  of  the  British  Islands  as  a 
warning  against  the  continuance  of  the  destroying  influences  to 
which  many  of  those  of  our  own  country  are  now  subjected.  Dur- 


THE  SHORE  BIRDS.  201 

ing  the  past  thirty  years  the  Rapacious  Birds  of  Great  Britain  have 
undergone  an  amount  of  persecution  so  determined  and  systematic 
that  many  of  the  species  have  altogether  disappeared ;  and  as  by  the 
latest  records  of  the  meetings  of  the  British  Association  assembled 
at  Norwich,  it  would  appear  that  even  sea-fowl  are  now  in  danger 
of  extirpation  [they  are  now  protected],  owing  to  the  extraordinary 
demand  for  their  plumes  and  feathers  for  marketable  purposes,  it  may 
not  be  out  of  place  for  the  ornithologists  of  this  great  continent  to 
consider  the  propriety  of  protecting,  even  now,  some  of  the  species 
thus  proclaiming  by  their  scarcity  that  the  time  may  not  be  far  dis- 
tant when  we,  too,  may  have  to  lament  their  loss." 

The  Phalaropes,  or  "  Coot-footed  Snipe,"  as  I  have 
heard  them  called,  are  represented  by  three  species, 
all  occasionally  seen,  but  nowhere  abundant,  except 
on  the  sea-coast  at  intervals.  These  curious  birds 
look  like  sand-pipers,  but  do  not  act  like  them.  They 
are  swimmers  rather  than  waders,  and  when  seen  at 
a  little  distance  are  remarkably  duck-like.  They 
are  all  migratory,  and  in  the  Middle  States  and 
New  England  are  seen  in  spring  and  autumn,  gen- 
erally at  the  latter  season.  They  appear  on  our 
inland  waters  as  well  as  along  the  coast,  and  doubt- 
less many  a  specimen  is  shot  and  goes  the  way  of  all 
game-birds,  the  naturalists  of  the  neighborhood  not 
suspecting  that  such  a  bird  was  about.  I  have  twice 
seen  examples  of  two  of  the  species  on  the  counter 
of  a  game  dealer  in  Philadelphia,  and  I  have  seen  the 
Red  Phalarope  several  times  on  the  Delaware  River, 
more  than  one  hundred  miles  from  the  ocean. 

The  red  phalarope  breeds  in  the  highest  northern 
regions,  and  is  said  to  have  an  unusual  method  of 
conducting  the  preliminary  courtship:  the  female 
captures  a  mate,  and  after  the  eggs  are  laid  lets  him 


2O2  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

attend  to  the  monotonous  matter  of  hatching  them. 
It  is  significant  that  the  female  is  somewhat  larger 
and  a  finer-feathered  fowl.  In  other  words,  the  sexes 
are  badly  mixed,  the  female  laying  the  eggs,  but  the 
male  being  the  real  mother.  Such  things  have  been 
known  in  unfeathered  bipeds. 

Wilson's  Phalarope  is  not  a  northern  bird  in  the 
sense  that  the  others  are,  as  it  breeds  in  the  United 
States.  It  is  not  uncommon  westward  from  the  Mis- 
sissippi Valley,  but  rare  in  the  Atlantic  seaboard  States. 
Warren  reports  it,  however,  in  Pennsylvania,  saying 
that  "  at  Erie  Bay  small  flocks  of  these  phalaropes 
are  sometimes  to  be  seen  in  the  fall  swimming  in  the 
water  like  ducks." 

The  Lobe-foot,  as  this  bird  is  known  to  many,  is 
stated  by  Dr.  Cooper,  in  his  work  on  the  ornithology 
of  the  Pacific  seaboard,  to  pass  "  in  spring  and  fall 
through  Washington  Territory  [now  State]  in  small 
flocks,  which  associate  sometimes  with  the  sand- 
pipers, but  appear  to  prefer  wetter  feeding-grounds, 
wading  in  the  shallow  creeks  at  low  tide,  and  even 
swimming  on  the  ocean  several  miles  off  shore."  This 
is  equally  applicable  to  our  Eastern  phalaropes  as  seen 
in  March  off  shore  and  on  the  beaches  of  New  Jersey. 

In  the  United  States  there  are  two  beautiful  wading 
birds  that  have  considerable  in  common  and  yet  are 
not  even  generically  related.  These  birds  are  the 
Avocets  and  the  Stilts.  The  Avocet  is  one  of  our 
largest  wading  birds,  and  is  beautifully  marked,  being 
largely  black  and  white.  The  upward  curve  of  the 
bill  at  once  distinguishes  it  from  other  waders.  They 
were  formerly  very  abundant  on  the  New  Jersey 


THE  SHORE  BIRDS.  203 

coast  at  certain  seasons,  but  are  far  less  so  at  the 
present  time.  They  are  not  mentioned  by  Warren 
as  a  bird  of  Pennsylvania,  yet  specimens  have  been 
killed  on  the  shores  of  the  Delaware  within  the  boun- 
daries of  that  State. 

While  a  strictly  shore  bird  in  the  Middle  States, 
they  are  very  abundant  on  the  Western  plains  and  in 
the  States  bordering  on  the  Mississippi.  Dr.  Coues 
has  given  an  excellent  account  of  them  as  seen  in  the 
far  West. 

The  Stilt,  or  Black-necked  Stilt,  is  another  curious 
bird,  in  that  its  legs  seem  rather  too  long  for  the 
bird's  comfort,  but  they  have  never  appeared  to  be  a 
real  hinderance,  and,  as  has  been  stated,  "  as  waders 
they  are  a  great  success."  At  present  they  are  much 
more  abundant  in  the  West — the  far  West — than  along 
our  Atlantic  seaboard,  except  in  Florida.  This  was 
probably  not  true  of  the  bird  originally,  for  the 
gradual  disappearance  only  commenced  about  the 
beginning  of  the  present  century. 

Of  these  birds,  Dr.  Coues  remarks  as  follows : 

"  Avocets  and  Stilts  correspond  with  each  other  in  habits  as  closely 
as  they  do  in  form.  One  of  the  most  marked  physical  differences  is 
found  in  the  structure  of  the  feet.  Avocets  have  a  hind  toe,  which 
the  Stilts  have  not,  and  their  feet  are  almost  completely  webbed,  so 
that  they  are  among  the  best  swimmers  of  the  long-legged  fraternity. 
Stilts,  on  the  contrary,  scarcely  swim  at  all,  and  never  except  on  an 
emergency.  When  the  Avocets  are  wading  about,  it  often  happens 
that  they  get  beyond  their  depth,  when,  instead  of  rising  on  wing, 
they  keep  on  as  if  nothing  had  happened  to  take  them  off  their  feet." 

The  Woodcock  is  so  highly  prized  as  a  dainty 
morsel,  and  is  so  persistently  pursued  in  season  by 


204 


THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 


Woodcock. 


the  sportsman,  that  the  natural  history  of  the  bird 
is  very  well  known.  In  the  Middle  States  it  comes 

usually  in  February 
if  the  weather  is  mild, 
and  in  March  if  the 
spring  is  backward, 
and  knowing  the 
country  pretty  well,  if 
an  old  bird,  locates 
about  some  bubbling 
spring  around  which 
the  ground  is  soft 
and  warm,  and  where 
the  sun  shines  for  a 
good  part  of  the  day. 
There  are  always 
such  places  in  every 

county,  and  the  bird  can  thrive  very  well  even  if 
there  are  a  good  many  cold  snaps  after  its  arrival. 
Quite  early  it  has  got  through  with  its  peculiar 
courtship,  and  the  eggs  placed  upon  the  bare  ground 
are  a  matter  of  great  care  to  both  parents. 

Nuttall's  account  of  the  courtship  is  as  follows : 

"  During  the  mating  season,  in  the  morning  as  well  as  evening,  but 
more  particularly  the  latter,  the  male  in  the  vicinity  of  his  mate  and 
nest  rises  successively  in  a  spiral  course  like  a  Lark.  While  ascend- 
ing he  utters  a  hurried  and  feeble  warble,  but  in  descending  the  tones 
increase  as  he  approaches  towards  the  ground,  and  then  becoming 
loud  and  sweet,  pass  into  an  agreeable,  quick,  and  tumultuous  song. 
As  soon  as  the  performer  descends  the  sound  ceases  for  a  moment, 
when  with  a  sort  of  stifled  utterance,  accompanied  by  a  stiff  and 
balancing  motion  of  the  body,  the  word  blaik,  and  sometimes  paip, 
paip,  is  uttered." 


THE  SHORE  BIRDS. 


205 


The  Snipe,  Gray  Snipe,  English  Snipe,  and  Wil- 
son's Snipe,  as  it  is  variously  called,  is  another  famil- 
iar migratory  bird  that  is  common  to  our  marshy 
meadows,  both  a  short  distance  inland  from  the  ocean 
and  across  the  continent.  It  breeds  in  the  northern 
regions,  as  a  rule ;  but  to  assert  that  it  does  not  re- 
main south  of  New  England  and  breed  is  absurd. 
There  was  never  a  summer,  I  think,  that  these  birds 
were  not  seen  on  the  Delaware  meadows  after  the 
annual  spring  flight 
had  gone  north, 
and  I  have  found 
them  breeding  or 
with  young  birds 
on  more  than  one 
occasion.  Warren 
gives  instances  of 
its  being  found  in 
summer  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. It  may  be 
true  that  the  ma- 
jority of  such  over- 
staying birds  are  English  Snipe. 
"  crippled ;"  but,  in- 

jured  or  sound,  they  rear  their  young  all  the  same, 
and  twenty  years  ago  I  suggested  that  such  wounded 
birds  had  brought  into  existence  birds  that  were  con- 
tent on  their  northward  migration  to  themselves  nest 
in  the  locality  where  they  were  born. 

The  Dowitcher,  or  Robin  Snipe,  is  a  sea-coast  or 
salt-marsh  bird  that  comes  in  the  spring,  goes  north 
to  breed,  and  returns  in  early  autumn.     They  do  not 
18 


206  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

wander  far  inland  in  the  Middle  States,  but  in  the 
interior  of  the  continent,  along  our  large  rivers,  they 
are  abundant  in  the  early  autumn  or  late  summer 
southward  migration. 

The  true  Sand-pipers  are  all  most  interesting  birds, 
and  as  so  many  of  them  are  common  to  our  inland 
streams  and  one  is  almost  a  land  bird,  they  are 
pretty  generally  known.  Along  our  river-shores 
particularly  these  birds  congregate  in  large  num- 
bers, and  in  August,  when  all  nesting  duties  are 
over,  to  see  a  troop  of  "  tell-tales"  or  "  yellow-legs" 
running  over  the  muddy  flats  at  low  tide  and  hear 
their  mellow  whistling,  as  they  take  wing  and  go 
speeding  off  to  other  watery  wastes,  is  a  pleasant 
experience  to  him  who  loves  a  rational  outing, — an 
outing  not  merely  for  muscular  exercise,  but  for 
mental.  To  realize  what  bird-life  is  we  must  do  a 
great  deal  more  than  merely  collect  the  creatures  and 
measure  to  the  thousandth  of  an  inch  their  hind  toes. 
It  is  necessary  to  see  the  bird  in  life,  and  this  phase 
of  bird-life,  where  we  have  the  animal  on  land  yet 
forever  in  the  water  so  far  as  length  of  limb  will  per- 
mit, is  one  of  the  most  entertaining.  But  it  is  not 
only  along  the  river-shore  that  we  find  the  sand- 
pipers. There  is  a  dainty  spotted  one  that  is  at  home 
even  among  the  upland  fields,  and  is  as  content  with 
a  tiny  brook  as  where  the  water  is  miles  in  width. 
It  is  a  bird,  too,  of  our  mill-ponds,  and  its  cheery 
peet-weet  is  as  certain  a  sign  of  the  coming  of  warm 
weather  when  we  first  hear  it  as  is  that  of  any  bird 
of  the  field  or  forest.  With  few  exceptions,  the  sand- 
pipers are  strictly  migratory  and  breed  in  the  far 


THE  SHORE  BIRDS.  207 

north.  Their  breeding  habits  probably  are  much  the 
same,  and  what  the  birds  do  at  such  times  and  in 
that  region  has  best  been  described  by  Seebohm  in 
his  classic  little  volumes,  "  Siberia  in  Europe"  and 
"  Siberia  in  Asia."  In  the  tundras  he  found  the  sand- 
pipers nesting,  and  scattered  through  the  pleasant 
pages  of  these  charming  books  we  get  glimpses  of 
the  life  of  these  birds,  that,  so  far  as  we  know  them 
at  home,  are  visitors  only. 

Many  of  these  sand-pipers  that  are  fairly  common 
to  our  sea-coast  marshes  are  birds  of  the  interior. 
Dr.  Warren  records  them  as  occurring  at  Erie  Bay 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  in  the  far  West  many  are  very 
abundant;  much  more  so,  indeed,  than  in  our  Eastern 
districts. 

Of  the  inland  species,  the  Spotted  Sand-piper,  known 
so  generally  as  the  "  Teeter-Tiltup,"  from  its  quaint 
way  of  bobbing  both  head  and  tail  as  it  walks,  de- 
serves especial  mention. 

Wilson's  account  is  as  follows : 

"  This  very  common  species  arrives  in  Pennsylvania  about  the  twen- 
tieth of  April,  making  its  first  appearance  along  the  shores  of  our 
large  rivers,  and,  as  the  season  advances,  tracing  the  courses  of  our 
creeks  and  streams  towards  the  interior.  Along  the  rivers  Schuylkill 
and  Delaware  and  their  tributary  waters  they  are  in  great  abundance 
during  the  summer.  This  species  is  as  remarkable  for  perpetually 
wagging  the  tail  as  some  others  are  for  nodding  the  head ;  for  whether 
running  on  the  ground,  or  on  the  fences,  along  the  rails,  or  in  the 
water,  this  motion  seems  continual ;  even  the  young,  as  soon  as  they 
are  freed  from  the  shell,  run  about  constantly  wagging  the  tail. 
About  the  middle  of  May  they  resort  to  the  adioining  cornfields  to 
breed." 

This  sand-piper  is  the  only  one  that  ventures  quite 


2o8  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

within  the  limits  of  our  villages.  I  have  seen  it  along 
roadsides  very  often,  but  never  so  tame  as  in  a  vil- 
lage in  Monroe  County,  Pennsylvania,  where  it  fol- 
lowed a  little  creek  that  passed  through  the  place, 
and  ran  under  a  simple  bridge  and  was  not  disturbed 
by  passing  teams.  It  would  leave  the  water  and 
skurry  over  the  dusty  wagon-tracks,  dodging  the 
horses  as  do  the  English  sparrows,  and  when  in- 
duced to  fly,  only  moved  a  few  yards  away. 

The  Solitary  Sand-piper,  a  little  larger  and  darker- 
colored  bird  than  the  preceding,  is  another  species 
that  leaves  what  might  be  considered  its  proper 
haunts  and  comes  very  close  to  civilization.  The 
name  "  solitary"  is  not  altogether  a  well-chosen  one. 
These  birds  appear  in  spring,  and  we  often  see  a  con- 
siderable number  of  them  together.  They  are  then 
usually  about  the  wet  meadows,  and  have  a  decided 
fancy  for  newly-ploughed  fields  where  water  lies  in 

the  furrows;  and 
again,  it  is  noth- 
ing unusual  for 
one  to  be  sur- 
prised in  or  very 
near  a  barn-yard, 

hunting     for      in- 
Solitary  Sand-piper,  sects  in  the  very 
black,   fetid,  and 

repulsive  pools.  I  have  often  been  surprised  at  the 
actions  of  these  birds  when  startled  and  forced  to 
leave  a  spot  to  which  they  have  been  attracted. 
With  a  flirt  of  their  slender  wings  they  dart  off,  and 
gradually  rise  to  an  immense  height  and  sometimes 


0 


THE  SHORE  BIRDS.  209 

wholly  disappear.  I  have  known  two,  three,  and 
four  minutes  to  elapse,  and  then,  like  lightning 
from  a  clear  sky,  the  bird  would  suddenly  reappear, 
touching  the  ground  lightly  with  its  dainty  feet  and 
raising  its  wings  straight  up  above  its  back,  as  if  to 
celebrate  the  victory  of  having  escaped  and  returned 
in  safety.  Again  and  again  I  have  flushed  the  poor 
solitary,  and  it  invariably  flew  two  or  three  miles,  I 
judge,  before  returning. 

There  has  been  from  time  to  time  some  discussion 
of  the  habits  of  this  bird  so  far  as  its  breeding  is 
concerned.  Speaking  for  the  Delaware  River  Valley, 
I  can  ^say  that  while  the  bird  is  migratory  and  might 
by  casual  observers  be  considered  as  generally  so,  a 
few  do  remain  within  the  limits  of  Pennsylvania  and 
New  Jersey  during  the  summer.  I  have  seen  them 
during  the  months  of  June  and  July  in  both  the 
States  mentioned,  and  I  found  a  pair  once  in  great 
distress  because  an  enormous  bull-frog  had  swallowed 
their  newly-born  young.  It  is  foolish  for  theoretical 
ornithologists  to  dispute  such  statements.  There  is 
no  possibility  of  any  one  mistaking  this  bird  for  any 
other,  and  as  I  have  known  the  two  species  well  and 
for  many  years,  it  borders  on  the  ridiculous  to  sug- 
gest that  the  two — the  spotted  and  the  solitary — were 
confounded. 

A  beautiful  upland  and  dry-ground  sand-piper  is 
well  known  to  many  as  the  Grass  Plover, — an  unfor- 
tunate name,  as  it  is  not  a  true  plover, — and  it  is  also 
called  Bartram's  Tattler.  "  It  inhabits  at  different 
seasons  nearly  all  of  North  America,  and  in  winter 
pushes  its  migration  even  to  Central  and  South 


210  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

America."  In  the  Middle  States  it  is  both  migra- 
tory and  resident.  Dr.  Warren  records,  as  observa- 
tions of  this  bird  in  Pennsylvania, — 

"  This  species  resides  during  the  breeding  season  in  grass-fields 
and  highlands.  .  .  .  Often  in  the  summer  these  birds  alight  on  fences 
along  the  roadside,  in  trees,  etc.,  and  raise  their  long  wings  to  their 
full  extent.  When  breeding  these  birds  are  found  singly  or  in  pairs, 
and  they  are  then  quite  unsuspicious,  often  allowing  a  very  near  ap- 
proach before  they  take  to  wing  or  run  off  and  hide  in  the  grass,  but 
in  the  late  summer  when  assembled  in  flocks  they  become  exceed- 
ingly shy  and  difficult  of  approach.  ...  Its  ordinary  note  is  a  rather 
loud,  yet  soft  and  pleasing-whistle,  but  when  breeding  it  frequently 
utters  a  loud,  prolonged,  and  tremulous  piercing  scream,  which,  when 
heard  at  considerable  distance,  sounds  very  much  like  the  sudden 
cry  of  a  child  in  great  distress." 

It  is  in  August  that  flocks  of  these  birds  are  scat- 
tered over  the  country,  and  of  late  so  very  shy  are 
they  that  we  can  hear  their  mellow  whistle  but  can- 
not see  the  birds.  They  are  early  birds,  too,  and 
before  sunrise  will  scour  a  field  for  food  and  be  up 
and  off  before  the  cows  are  turned  into  the  pasture. 
I  had  often  noticed  the  whistling  birds  overhead,  but 
never  could  find  them  except  in  the  air,  and  now  I 
know  the  reason.  This  bird  is  not  as  abundant  in 
Eastern  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey  as  in  Wilson's 
day. 

George  Ord's  note  to  Wilson's  account  is  as  fol- 
lows: 

"  Bartram's  Sand-piper  is  known  to  our  shooters  by  the  name  of 
Grass  Plover.  It  breeds  in  low  grounds,  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey. 
When  watching  its  nest  it  is  fond  of  sitting  upon  fences,  and  on 
alighting  it  throws  up  its  wings  in  the  manner  of  the  fVillet.  In  the 
early  part  of  August  it  begins  to  migrate ;  it  then  flies  high,  and  may 
be  easily  recognized  by  its  whistling  notes,  which  resemble  those  of 


THE  SHORE  BIRDS.  211 

the  Tell-tale.     In  the  middle  of  June  I  observed  this  species  in  the 
vicinity  of  Burlington,  New  Jersey,  but  I  could  not  discover  its  nest." 

With  the  birds  of  the  vicinity  of  Burlington  I  am 
very  familiar,  and  I  have  never  found  the  nest  of  this 
bird  there ;  but  I  am  confident  that  it  breeds  in  the 
highlands  of  Bucks  County,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  Delaware  River. 

In  April  and  again  in  late  July,  and  from  then  until 
the  weather  cools,  there  are  two  pretty  little  sand- 
pipers that  make  for  me  the  sandy  ocean-shore  ex- 
ceedingly attractive ;  these  are  the  Least  and  Semi- 
palmated  "  Peeps,"  as  they  are  so  generally  called. 
The  Least  Sand-piper  is  the  more  abundant  of  the 
two,  and  comes  with  more  regularity  along  our  rivers, 
especially  in  autumn  ;  but  they  are  best  seen  running 
on  the  beaches  of  old  ocean,  following  the  receding 
wave  and  never  being  overwhelmed  by  the  incoming 
deluge.  Flush  them  and  the  cheery  "peep"  sounds 
loud  and  clear  above  the  roar  of  the  ocean,  and  with 
what  confidence  they  speed  over  the  troubled  water, 
almost  venturing  to  touch  it  with  their  toes  as  it 
rushes  madly  beneath  them!  This  is  one  of  the 
many  sights  in  the  bird-world  that  I  never  tire  of. 

The  true  Plovers,  of  which  there  are  many  kinds, 
are  an  interesting  family,  and  coming  within  the  scope 
of  sportsmen's  game-birds,  are  well  known  to  people 
who  measure  a  bird  only  by  the  toothsome  qualities 
of  its  flesh.  To  some  people,  however,  a  whistling 
quail  is  as  dear  a  song-bird  as  is  the  melancholy 
thrush  or  exultant  grosbeak. 

The  larger  forms,  as  the  Black-bellied  and  Golden 
Plover,  are  migratory  birds  that  nest  well  up  in  the 


212  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

arctic  circle,  and  return  southward  in  August,  when 
they  are  objects  of  much  interest  to  the  sportsman. 
The  first  named  keep  principally  along  the  sea-coast, 
and  are  rare  in  the  far  West.  Occasionally  they  ap- 
pear in  fields  in  our  river  valleys,  and  then  may  be 
readily  mistaken  for  the  Golden  Plover,  as  their  move- 
ments and  flight  are  quite  alike.  Its  voice,  however,  is 
more  shrill  and  chattering  than  that  of  the  other  large 
plover,  which,  known  generally  as  the  "  Bull-head," 
appears  pretty  regularly  in  the  Middle  States  about 
September  i,  and  remains  for  three  or  four  weeks. 
Occasionally  a  large  flock  will  settle  in  a  field  and 
remain  for  several  days,  or  until  the  gunners  find 
them  out,  which  usually  is  soon  after  their  arrival,  for 
their  whistle  is  only  too  well  known,  and  they  have 
not  learned  the  wisdom  of  keeping  quiet.  When 
feeding  they  appear  to  have  sentinels  posted  about, 
for  the  alarm-cry  is  sure  to  be  heard  as  you  approach, 
and  it  requires  a  great  deal  of  patience  to  get  within 
gunshot, — that  is,  when  these  birds  have  come  inland. 
On  the  immediate  sea-coast  they  are  watchful,  but 
not  as  difficult  to  approach. 

The  Semi-palmated  Plover  is  a  smaller,  strictly 
migratory  form  that  nests  north  of  the  United  States. 

There  are  found  in  the  Middle  States  in  summer, 
especially  on  the  sea-coast,  and  at  times  along  our 
rivers,  two  beautiful  little  plovers,  known  as  the 
"  Piping"  and  "  Wilson's."  The  former  reaches  us 
about  April,  and  in  flocks  of  a  few  individuals  run 
about  the  sand  on  the  sea-shore  in  a  most  lively 
manner  and  utter  a  variety  of  cries  that  are  all  more 
or  less  pleasing,  blending  as  they  do  with  the  roar 


THE  SHORE  BIRDS.  213 

of  the  ocean.  When  this  sound,  coming  from  the 
throats  of  many  plovers,  is  heard  after  dark,  it  is 
particularly  striking,  as  wild  and  weird  as  the  whis- 
tling of  the  wind  through  the  rigging  of  a  ship  at 
sea. 

This  little  plover  nests  on  our  sea-coast,  and  makes 
most  violent  demonstrations  and  pleads  piteously 
when  the  eggs  are  approached.  I  found  them  nest- 
ing in  the  meadows  back  of  Holly  Beach,  on  the 
New  Jersey  coast,  in  June,  1893. 

In  August  many  scores  of  these  birds  come  up  the 
Delaware  River  as  far  as  tide-water  extends,  feeding 
on  the  gravel-bars  and  mud-flats  at  low  tide,  and  oc- 
casionally following  up  the  courses  of  the  creeks 
until  they  find  themselves  well  into  the  country. 

Wilson's  Plover  is  less  common,  but  not  at  all  rare 
on  the  Southern  New  Jersey  coast,  and,  like  the  piping, 
comes  up  our  rivers,  and  when  there  is  quite  the 
same  in  habits  as  the  preceding.  It  is  not  unusual 
to  find  on  one  sand-bar  these  two  plovers,  the  san- 
derling,  and  a  few  "  peeps."  They  run  in  and  out 
among  the  little  hills  and  hollows  in  the  mud,  each 
uttering  its  own  cry,  and  together  filling  the  air  with 
a  pleasant  piping  and  twittering  that  is,  as  a  whole, 
musical.  Flush  them  and  they  will  get  up  as  one 
flock,  but  before  they  have  gone  far  will  separate  and 
keep  apart  until  the  cause  of  alarm  has  gone,  when 
they  reassemble,  and  as  one  happy  family  pursue 
their  insect-hunting,  each  after  its  own  fashion,  but 
all  without  a  trace  of  quarrelling.  The  little  minnows 
that  are  often  left  in  pools  at  low  tide  are  eaten  by 
all  these  little  plover. 


214 


THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 


Killdeer. 


The  genuine,  or  literally  "  upland,"  plover  is  the 
familiar  "  Killdeer."  It  is  migratory,  but  it  makes  a 
long  stay  with  us  in  the  Middle  States.  It  some- 
times comes  by  the  middle  of  February,  and  is  said 

to  be  always  fol- 
lowed by  the  snipe. 
Not  always  imme- 
diately followed, 
however.  We  first 
find  the  killdeer 
along  the  river, 
and  if  the  ground, 
upland,  is  frozen, 
they  will  remain 
there ;  but  very 
soon  they  come  to 

their  old  haunts  in  the  dry  fields,  and  add  a  great 
deal  of  life  to  what  is  apt  to  be  a  rather  commonplace 
locality.  They  find  in  time  a  safe  spot,  as  they  think, 
to  lay  their  eggs,  and  then  are  all  anxiety  for  fear 
some  one  will  step  on  them.  If  you  come  near  they 
make  a  great  ado  and  imitate  lameness  to  perfection, 
but  you  cannot  pick  them  up,  for  all  that. 
Wilson  says, — 

"  Nothing  can  exceed  the  alarm  and  anxiety  of  these  birds  during 
the  breeding  season.  Their  cries  of  killdeer,  killdeer,  as  they  winnow 
the  air  overhead,  dive  and  course  around  you,  or  run  along  the 
ground  counterfeiting  lameness,  are  shrill  and  incessant.  The  mo- 
ment they  see  a  person  approach  they  fly  or  run  to  attack  him  with 
their  harassing  clamor,  continuing  it  over  so  wide  an  extent  of 
ground  that  they  puzzle  the  pursuer  as  to  the  particular  spot  where 
the  nest  or  young  are  concealed,  very  much  resembling  in  this  re- 
spect the  Lapwing  of  Europe.  During  the  evening  and  long  after 


THE  SHORE  BIRDS.  215 

dusk,  particularly  in  moonlight,  their  cries  are  frequently  heard  with 
equal  violence,  both  in  the  spring  and  fall.  From  this  circumstance, 
and  their  flying  about  both  after  dusk  and  before  dawn,  it  appears 
probable  that  they  see  better  at  such  times  than  most  of  their  tribe. 
They  are  known  to  feed  much  on  worms,  and  many  of  these  rise  to 
the  surface  during  the  night.  The  prowling  of  Owls  may  also  alarm 
their  fears  for  their  young  at  those  hours ;  but  whatever  may  be  the 
cause,  the  facts  are  so." 

The  Turnstone  is  a  marine  bird,  a  dweller  on  the 
sea-coast,  and  when  found  inland  may  be  looked 
upon  as  a  mere  straggler;  literally  a  storm-tossed 
bird ;  for  it  is  well  known  that  sea-birds  have  been 
driven  many  miles  inland  when  the  coastwise  storm 
has  been  of  unusual  violence.  In  spring  and  autumn 
they  are  moderately  common.  They  breed  in  the 
arctic  regions. 

"  This  bird  is  naturally  of  a  wild  and  solitary  disposition,  coursing 
along  the  shore  by  pairs  or  in  small  families  which  have  been  bred 
together.  The  Turnstone,  while  flying,  often  utters  a  loud  twittering 
note,  and  runs  at  times  with  its  wings  lowered,  but  is  less  swift  in  its 
movements  than  most  of  the  Sand-pipers,  and  more  patient  and  intent 
in  obtaining  its  fare.  Like  the  Woodpeckers,  it  is  content  to  search 
over  the  same  place  for  a  considerable  length  of  time ;  the  mechanism 
of  its  bill  seems  well  provided  for  this  purpose,  and  it  is  often  seen 
in  this  way  turning  over  stones  and  pebbles  from  side  to  side  in  search 
of  various  worms  and  insects." — NuTTALL. 

It  is  said  that  they  make  entertaining  pets,  and 
thrive  very  well  under  what  must  be  very  changed 
conditions  for  them. 

The  Oyster-catcher,  which  Turnbull  says,  in  his 
"  Birds  of  East  Pennsylvania,"  is  also  called  the 
"  Flood-gull,"  is  recorded  as  "  rather  scarce."  It 
certainly  varies  in  respect  to  numbers  from  year  to 
year,  and  probably  in  the  Middle  States  has  perma- 


216  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

nently  ceased  to  be  other  than  a  rare  bird.  There 
are  few  people  to  be  met  with  now  along  shore  who 
can  recall  these  birds  as  occurring  in  any  considerable 
numbers,  although  they  profess  to  know  them.  Nut- 
tail's  statement  of  their  being  "  common"  in  New 
Jersey  is  no  longer  applicable. 


HERONS,  RAILS,  ETC.  217 


CHAPTER    XL 

HERONS,   RAILS,  ETC. 

IT  was  as  far  back  as  1851  or  1852  that  I  over- 
heard the  remark  that  there  was  a  freshet  on  the 
meadows  and  many  strange  birds  about.  My  curios- 
ity was  excited,  for  I  had  been  taken  to  the  meadows 
and  seen  them  under  all  their  summer  aspects.  But 
what  of  this  wide  reach  of  lowlands  now  with  a 
"freshet"  on  them?  It  had  recently  been  raining, 
that  I  knew ;  but  the  fields  were  dry  and  all  about 
seemed  just  as  usual,  but  fresher  after  the  continuous 
downpour  that  for  three  days  had  kept  me  house- 
bound. I  was  beginning  to  feel  abundant  self-confi- 
dence, and  longed  to  be  in  some  measure  my  own 
master.  I  asked  no  questions,  but  early  in  the  morn- 
ing stole  off  to  the  wonderful  meadows.  As  I  ap- 
proached I  saw  no  change,  but  directly  after  per- 
ceived that  familiar  pastures  were  glittering  with 
water.  I  kept  upon  the  higher  ground  and  followed 
a  path  leading  to  the  creek.  It  was  all  so  strange, 
and  in  the  brilliant  sunshine  of  a  June  morning  every 
bird  seemed  unnaturally  large  and  sang  with  an 
earnestness  that  almost  startled  me.  The  bushes  hid 
the  creek  at  every  point,  and  I  drew  them  aside  that 
I  might  stand  alone  on  the  bank  where  in  time  past 
K  19 


2i 8  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

I  had  been  brought  as  a  great  treat.  How  exciting 
it  was  to  be  alone !  I  had  no  thought  of  fear,  and 
knew,  of  course,  nothing  of  my  danger.  As  I  pushed 
aside  the  branches  of  low  bushes  and  peeped  through 
at  the  wide  creek  with  its  high,  overhanging  elms  on 
either  bank,  I  saw  a  huge  bird  that  was  taller  than 
myself.  It  uttered  a  loud  cry,  and,  spreading  its  wide 
wings,  flew  to  the  other  shore.  How  I  stared  at  the 
wonderful  sight !  and  there,  in  full  view,  were  others 
of  these  great  birds,  some  blue,  some  white,  and  all 
birds  bigger  than  myself.  Were  these  birds  the 
"  freshet"  of  which  I  had  heard  ?  Hour  after  hour 
I  stood  there,  looking  as  I  have  never  since  looked 
at  birds ;  looked  and  wondered,  and  never  knew  that 
the  water  was  slowly  rising,  inch  by  inch,  until  I 
stood  in  it  ankle-deep.  Then  it  was,  and  there  on  the 
creek -bank,  I  was  found  by  anxious  searchers,  and 
slowly  made  to  understand  that  I  had  been  snatched 
from  the  grave.  That  was  more  than  forty  years  ago, 
and  to  this  day  I  am  willing  to  stand  ankle-deep  in 
water  to  watch  the  stately  herons  come  and  go  when- 
ever there  is  a  freshet  on  the  meadows. 

The  large  and  stately  birds  that  are  known  as 
herons,  ibises,  the  spoon-bill,  and  egrets,  are  not  con- 
fined to  the  Southern  States,  and  a  feature  only  of 
impenetrable  forests.  They  come,  except  the  spoon- 
bill and  flamingo,  every  spring  well  up  into  the 
Middle  States  and  northward  to  New  England ;  and 
some  of  them  find  the  sheltered  springs  and  open 
waters  of  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania  sufficiently 
hospitable  even  in  winter,  and  so  make  the  more  at- 
tractive those  rather  desolate  places.  But  the  day 


HERONS,  RAILS,  ETC.  219 

of  their  abundant  presence  is  forever  over.  The  dis- 
graceful persecution  to  which  for  some  years  they 
have  been  subjected,  and  the  indifference  of  the  gen- 
eral public,  has  caused  their  numbers  to  be  so  greatly 
lessened  that  some  of  the  larger  species  are  well-nigh 
exterminated.  What  were  common  birds  in  their 
season,  half  a  century  ago,  are  now  rarely  seen  ;  and 
those  that  were  tame,  permitting  a  near  approach,  are 
now  so  exceedingly  shy  that  we  can  only  get  the 
most  unsatisfactory  glimpses.  It  is  often  the  case 
that  we  must  be  content  with  the  view  of  herons 
"  flying  over,"  and  never,  apparently,  settling  any- 
where. 

It  was  a  habit,  too,  at  one  time  of  herons  to  nest 
and  roost  in  communities ;  these  "  heronries"  being 
a  not  unusual  feature  where  there  was  a  growth 
of  heavy  timber  not  far  from  water.  The  herons 
now  are  wise  enough  to  build  singly,  and  locate  their 
nests  in  the  most  secluded  places.  The  struggle  for 
existence  has  been  a  violent  one  and  the  herons  have 
been  worsted.  Scarcely  a  word  of  protest  has  been 
heard,  and  none  that  has  proved  effectual.  Heron 
plumes  became  fashionable  and  the  birds  were 
doomed. 

This  class  of  birds  are,  one  and  all,  absolutely 
harmless  and  unfit  for  food,  although  occasionally 
some  of  them  are  eaten.  There  is  not  the  slightest  ex- 
cuse for  killing  them,  any  more  than  an  excuse  could 
be  offered  for  shooting  a  swallow.  There  is  no  need 
now  for  ornithologists  to  collect  additional  speci- 
mens :  that  plea  for  collecting  is  worn  threadbare. 
Their  anatomy  and  habits  are  thoroughly  known, 


22O  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

and  all  needed  information  can  be  had  from  scores 
of  books. 

Naturally,  the  whole  tribe  of  herons  are  disposed 
to  be  sociable,  and  as  willing  to  frequent  a  mill-pond 
as  the  retired  and  wooded  banks  of  far-off  rivers. 
All  they  ask  is  not  to  be  disturbed.  The  night- 
herons  have  been  known  to  lodge  in  trees  in  a  large 
town,  and  this  uncommon  occurrence  might  be  a 
common  one  but  for  the  positively  brutal  indifference 
of  the  average  man,  who  will  permit  these  inoffensive 
and  beautiful  birds  to  be  shot  at,  even  if  he  does  not 
indulge  in  the  sport  (?)  himself.  There  should  be 
an  almost  prohibitive  tax  on  the  modern  breech- 
loader. I  have  seen  a  man  deliberately  shoot  at  an 
overflying  heron,  just  to  see  if  his  gun  would  carry 
that  far.  Fortunately,  it  did  not.  If  I  had  tried  my 
gun  on  him  in  the  same  way,  there  would  have  been 
a  great  rumpus ;  but  the  bird,  of  the  two  creatures, 
was  much  the  more  valuable. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  our  blue,  white,  and  night- 
herons  and  the  bittern  would  all  become  as  familiar 
as  the  storks  are  in  Europe  if  they  had  the  same  im- 
munity from  persecution  granted  to  the  fish-hawk. 
I  say  this,  because  experimentation  in  a  slight  way 
has  gone  far  to  demonstrate  it;  and  it  is  well  known 
that  birds  learn  very  quickly  where  they  are  free  from 
annoyance  and  where  subjected  to  it.  The  migratory 
birds  that  nest  in  a  locality  with  comfort  during  one 
season  will  be  pretty  sure  to  return  the  next ;  but  rob 
them  of  their  eggs  or  young  and  they  will  give  the 
place  a  wide  berth  thereafter. 

In  some  respects  the  Roseate  Spoon-bill  is  the 


NIGHT-HERONS   AND  NEST. 


HERONS,  RAILS,  ETC.  221 

most  remarkable  of  all  our  birds  of  this  class.  Its 
common  name  accurately  describes  and  readily  dis- 
tinguishes the  bird  from  the  herons  or  ibises.  It  is 
roseate,  not  a  uniform  red  like  the  Scarlet  Ibis,  and 
the  bill  is  flattened  and  rounded  at  the  end.  The 
time  was,  and  not  long  ago,  that  the  spoon-bills 
were  moderately  abundant  in  Florida  and  along  the 
seaboard  of  the  Gulf  States.  Now  they  are  rare. 
Chamberlain  says  "  the  plume-hunters  have  almost 
exterminated  them  there"  (in  Florida). 

Spoon-bills  are  nocturnal  in  habit ;  act  generally  as 
the  herons  ;  are  gregarious  and  shy,  posting  a  sentinel 
when  feeding. 

Including  the  above,  there  are  some  twenty  of 
these  long-legged  and  long-necked  birds,  and  their 
habits  are  very  much  alike  wherever  we  find  them. 
Some  are  migratory,  and  yet  are  not  particularly 
sensitive  to  a  low  temperature,  as  individual  birds 
winter  as  far  north  as  the  Middle  States. 

The  Scarlet  Ibis  is  now  scarcely  a  bird  of  the 
United  States,  but  the  White  Ibis  remains,  and  is  a 
splendid  bird.  It  is  strictly  a  Southern  species,  that 
wanders  irregularly  northward  along  the  Atlantic 
coast,  even  as  far  as  New  Jersey,  and  farther  inland 
up  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Nuttall  quotes  Bartram  to 
the  effect  that  the  ibises  "  fly  in  large  flocks  or  squad- 
rons, evening  and  morning,  to  and  from  their  feeding- 
places  or  roosts,  and  are  usually  called  Spanish  Cur- 
lews. They  subsist  principally  on  crayfish,  whose 
cells  they  probe,  and  with  their  strong  pinching  bills 
drag  them  out." 

Nuttall  adds,  "  Sometimes,  according  to  Bartram, 
19* 


222  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

during  the  prevalence  of  high  winds  and  in  thunder- 
storms, they  may  be  seen  collected  into  numerous 
flocks,  driving  to  and  fro,  or  turning  and  tacking 
about  high  in  the  air,  during  which  evolutions  with 
the  contending  currents  of  the  wind  their  silvery 
plumage  gleams  and  sparkles  with  unusual  brilliance 
as  it  reflects  the  flashing  light  from  amidst  the  dark 
and  hovering  clouds."  This  superb  sight  was  noted 
by  Bartram  in  the  eighteenth  century,  but  few  have 
seen  it  in  the  present  one,  and  the  bird  will  be  a  mat- 
ter of  "  ancient"  history  before  long. 

The  Glossy  Ibis,  so  well  known  the  world  over,  is 
not  a  common  bird  anywhere  in  the  United  States, 
and  only  a  "  visitor"  north  of  Florida.  The  following 
is  taken  from  Bonaparte's  very  full  account  of  these 
birds,  as  he  had  observed  them  both  in  Europe  and 
in  this  country : 

"  Let  it  come  whence  it  may,  the  Glossy  Ibis  is  only  an  occasional 
visitant  of  the  United  States,  appearing  in  small  flocks  during  the 
spring  season,  at  very  irregular  periods,  on  the  coast  of  the  Middle 
States.  The  specimen  Mr.  Ord  described,  and  which  produced  a 
strong  sensation  even  among  experienced  gunners  and  the  oldest  in- 
habitants as  a  novelty,  was  shot  on  the  seventh  of  May,  1817,  at 
Great  Egg  Harbor,  and  we  have  seen  others  from  the  same  locality 
and  obtained  at  the  same  season,  as  also  from  Maryland  and  Virginia. 
A  beautiful  specimen,  preserved  in  the  American  Museum  at  New 
York,  was  shot  a  few  miles  from  that  city  in  June,  1828.  .  .  . 
United  States  specimens  that  have  come  under  my  observation  were 
all  adults.  During  their  stay  among  us  they  occupy  places  near 
marshes  and  grounds  subject  to  be  overflowed,  where  there  are  no 
trees,  but  abundance  of  grass  and  plenty  of  their  favorite  food. 
They  search  for  this  collected  in  flocks  of  from  thirty  to  forty,  and 
explore  the  ground  with  great  regularity,  advancing  in  an  extended 
line,  but  closely  side  by  side.  When  they  wish  to  leave  one  side  of 
the  meadow  for  another,  they  do  not  take  wing,  but  walk  to  the 


HERONS,  RAILS,  ETC.  223 

selected  spot.  When  they  have  alighted  on  a  newly-discovered  rich 
spot  of  ground,  they  may  be  observed  on  it  for  hours,  continually 
boring  the  mud  with  their  bill.  They  never  start  and  run  rapidly 
like  the  Curlew  and  Sand-piper,  but  always  walk  with  poised  and 
measured  steps,  so  that  ^Elian  says  the  Ibis's  motions  can  only  be 
compared  to  those  of  a  delicate  virgin.  The  body  is  kept  almost 
horizontal,  the  neck  much  bent,  like  the  letter  S,  and  lifting  their 
feet  high.  If  alarmed,  or  when  about  to  depart,  they  rise  to  wonder- 
ful heights,  ascending  first  in  an  inclined  but  straight  flight,  and  then 
describing  a  wide  spiral,  the  whole  flock  are  heard  to  cry  out  in  a 
loud  tone,  their  voice  resembling  that  of  geese ;  finally,  having 
reached  what  they  consider  the  proper  height,  taking  a  horizontal 
direction,  they  soon  disappear  from  the  sight.  Their  flight  is  vigorous 
and  elevated,  their  pectoral  muscles  being  very  thick ;  they  fly  with  the 
neck  and  legs  extended  horizontally,  like  most  Waders,  and  as  they 
float  along,  send  forth  from  time  to  time  alow  and  very  hoarse  sound. 
Their  food  consists  chiefly  of  small  aquatic  testaceous  mollusca,  and 
they  do  not  disdain  such  small  worms  and  insects  as  they  may  meet 
with.  They  are  supposed  to  live  chiefly  on  leeches  (whence  their 
Tuscan  name  Mignattajd),  but  erroneously,  none  of  these  having 
ever  been  found  in  their  stomachs  either  by  Prof.  Savi  or  myself." 

The  Wood  Ibis  is  asserted  not  to  be  common 
"  anywhere  within  our  borders,"  but  Dr.  Coues  says 
that  it  is  abundant  about  Fort  Yuma,  and  he  has  given 
a  most  entertaining  account  of  the  bird  in  his  "  Birds 
of  the  Northwest ;"  but  Fort  Yuma,  it  may  be  said,  in 
passing,  is  very  much  otherwise  than  in  the  North- 
west, and  is  so  thoroughly  tropical  as  to  have  the 
thermometer  run  up  to  115°  in  the  shade.  Florida, 
on  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  is  its  proper  home,  and  as 
a  straggler  we  get  an  occasional  glimpse  of  one  even 
in  New  Jersey.  Dr.  Warren  mentions  several  in- 
stances of  its  occurrence  in  Pennsylvania. 

In  our  common  Bittern  we  have  in  New  England 
and  the  Middle  States  a  moderately  well  known 
bird,  but  one  that,  by  reason  of  its  retiring  habits  and 


224  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

rather  nocturnal  ways,  is  better  known  by  name  than 
by  personal  observation.  Still,  the  bittern  is  not  dif- 
ficult to  approach,  and  when  it  gains  a  little  confi- 
dence, or  has  its  young  to  look  after,  may  be  seen  to 
advantage  if  you  are  not  too  demonstrative.  Why  is 
it,  by  the  way,  that  women  are  never  content  with  ob- 
serving a  sitting  bird  ?  Even  if  it  is  a  thrush  in  the 
middle  of  his  song,  the  chances  are  she  will  scream 
and  "  shoo  !"  Queer  things.  The  bittern  in  the  Mid- 
dle States  is  both  resident  and  migratory.  It  builds 
a  nest  of  sticks  and  grass,  the  sticks  being  the  foun- 
dation, in  the  marsh,  where  the  bird  lives  the  greater 
part  of  the  time ;  and  if  you  pass  by  at  mid-day,  the 
chances  are  you  will  not  know  that  such  a  bird  is 
anywhere  near  you.  If  you  do  flush  it,  you  see  a  pair 
of  brown  wings  lazily  flapped,  see  an  awkward  neck 
thrust  out  ahead  and  a  pair  of  long  legs  that  almost 
dangle.  You  hear  a  kwok,  very  like  the  gag  pre- 
liminary to  vomiting,  and  then,  settled  to  work,  a 
graceful  flight,  if  the  bird  intends  to  go  any  distance. 
I  remember  one  bittern  that  spent  the  summer  on  my 
meadows  that  invariably,  when  flushed,  flew  to  the 
hill-side  near  by,  a  distance  of  about  seven  hundred 
yards,  and  alighted  on  the  same  tree  always.  When 
I  passed  by,  and  was  nowhere  near  the  nest  in  the 
marsh,  the  bird  would  promptly  return.  This  bittern, 
from  March  to  November,  remained,  I  think,  daily 
in  the  one  small  tract  of  marshy  meadow. 

At  night  the  bittern  makes  a  most  curious  sound, 
which  has  been  described  as  "  booming."  I  was 
always  of  opinion  that  the  sound  was  made  while  the 
bird  had  its  beak  in  water,  but  it  seems  not,  and 


HERONS,  RAILS,  ETC.  225 

when  I  have  seen  a  bird  in  this  position  I  have  heard 
another  "  booming."  The  sound  is  made  by  forcing 
the  air  from  its  crop  through  the  throat,  and  is  ex- 
pelled with  a  curious  noise  that  sounds  like  ttm-b&h 
when  heard  at  a  distance,  but  has  a  different  sound 
and  a  not  readily  described  one  when  you  hear  it  near 
by.  Indeed,  the  sound  is  not  a  uniform  one,  and 
even  varies  at  times  with  the  same  bird.  This  "  boom- 
ing" is  kept  up  until  pretty  late,  but  is  very  rarely 
heard  except  after  sundown.  I  have  never  heard  it 
in  the  winter. 

Of  all  our  water-birds,  I  have  always  had  the 
strongest  liking  for  the  Least  Bittern.  It  is  beautiful, 
gentle,  readily  tamed,  and  has  when  in  its  own  haunts 
a  quiet,  winning  way  about  it  that  is  captivating. 
They  are  abundant  every  year  in  a  tract  of  marshy 
meadows  along  the  Delaware,  and  there  are  not  at  all 
shy.  It  has  a  habit,  that  I  have  often  noticed,  of 
walking  out  into  the  open  meadow  and  picking  up 
grasshoppers  with  a  dexterity  that  is  very  marked, 
and  when  apparently  no  longer  hungry,  it  throws  its 
head  back  and  rests  it  between  its  wings  so  that  the 
beak  is  pointed  directly  upward.  Is  this  to  aid  diges- 
tion ?  The  position  is  maintained  but  for  a  minute 
or  two,  and  then  the  bird  runs  off  to  the  marsh  and 
is  out  of  sight.  When  startled,  the  bird  will  often 
raise  its  wings  and  give  perhaps  half  a  dozen  strokes, 
and  then  drop  again  into  the  weeds;  but  the  dis- 
charge of  a  gun  near  will  rouse  all  its  energy,  and 
the  bird  will  dart  off  with  rapidly  vibrating  wings 
and  sometimes  pursuing  an  erratic  snipe-like  course. 
Except  when  disturbed,  it  is  a  silent  bird,  but  utters 


226  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

an  alarm-cry  that  is  a  heron-like  qua,,  but  not  louder, 
usually,  than  the  cry  of  a  snipe. 

The  nest  is  a  mere  shallow  saucer  of  dead  reeds 
and  grass,  and  the  eggs  are  of  a  greenish-white  color 
that  is  so  much  like  the  surrounding  sickly,  half- 
bleached  vegetation  at  the  surface  of  a  marsh  that 
they  are  quite  inconspicuous.  The  bird,  when  sit- 
ting, is  not  readily  disturbed,  and  if  it  thinks  you 
don't  see  it,  will  let  you  pass  by  without  any  move- 
ment on  its  part.  Such,  at  least,  has  been  my  ex- 
perience. Chamberlain  mentions  "  a  cooing  note 
.  .  .  that  is  low,  soft,  and  sweet,"  uttered  during  the 
nesting  season.  This  I  may  have  heard,  but  never 
associated  with  these  bitterns. 

These  birds,  which  come  to  New  Jersey  about 
April  15,  do  not  remain,  like  the  preceding,  and  spend 
a  winter  about  a  warm,  bubbling  spring, — that  is,  do 
not  do  so  voluntarily,  but  occasionally  one  has  been 
found  out  of  season.  Such  birds  were  doubtless  in 
some  way  disabled,  for  it  is  hard  at  times  to  distin- 
guish them  from  the  king-rails  that  are  so  common  in 
the  same  marshes,  and  many  are  killed  every  year,  and 
necessarily  some  are  slightly  wounded.  Such  birds 
would  not  migrate  or  attempt  it,  and  may  possibly 
be  able  to  survive  an  "  open"  winter.  In  the  height 
of  "  reed  and  rail"  shooting  the  least  bittern  will 
often,  when  flushed,  take  refuge  in  a  tree  and  assume 
a  very  unbird-like  attitude,  so  that  it  is  not  readily 
seen  unless  you  follow  the  bird  in  its  flight.  Its 
colors  blend  well  with  the  surroundings,  and,  as  a 
whole,  the  bird  bears  a  good  deal  of  resemblance  to 
a  broken  branch. 


HERONS,  RAILS,  ETC.  227 

Of  the  true  herons  there  are  several  species  in  the 
United  States,  of  which  in  the  New  England  and 
Middle  States  the  Great  and  Little  Blue  Herons  are 
the  best  known.  The  former  is  a  migratory  species 
and  also  resident.  In  New  Jersey  and  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania there  is  annually  a  considerable  number  of 
these  birds  from  April  to  October,  but  during  the 
winter  the  number  is  small.  When  they  come,  in 
early  spring,  and  have  no  shelter,  they  are  very  shy, 
and  seem  much  more  intent  upon  guarding  against 
surprise  than  upon  securing  food.  At  times  they 
will  appear  in  the  level,  open  meadows,  and  fish  in 
the  ditches,  but  never  wander  near  to  any  bushes  or 
clump  of  trees  in  which  some  foe  may/be  lurking. 
Later,  when  the  foliage  is  out  and  there  is  "  cover" 
in  the  larger  trees,  these  birds  will  sit  in  them  by  the 
hour  motionless  and  silent,  but  at  dusk  they  will  fly 
abroad  and  utter  a  hoarse  cry  at  brief  intervals. 
Still,  they  are  in  no  sense  nocturnal,  and  can  be 
found  food-hunting  at  all  hours  of  the  day.  This 
food  consists  of  anything  in  the  way  of  an  animal 
that  can  be  swallowed,  an  exception  probably  being 
young  turtles.  I  have  known  one  of  these  great  blue 
herons  to  swallow  nearly  every  one  of  a  large  school 
of  catfish.  Frogs,  of  course,  are  eagerly  snapped 
up,  and  meadow-mice,  crayfish,  and  even  coleop- 
terous larvae  are  not  overlooked.  One  that  I  had  in 
captivity  demonstrated  how  strictly  omnivorous  they 
are  so  far  as  regards  a  meat  diet. 

The  Little  Blue  Heron  is  in  most  of  its  habits  the 
same  as  the  preceding,  with  a  tendency  to  remain 
quiet  in  the  daytime.  They  come  in  small  numbers 


228  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

as  far  north  as  New  Jersey,  and  are  more  common 
along  the  coast  than  inland. 

The  American  Egret  and  the  Snowy  Heron,  to 
the  casual  observer,  might  be  thought  to  be  the  same 
birds  as  the  preceding  two,  but  white  instead  of  blue. 
When  the  four  species  are  together,  as  I  have  seen 
them,  feeding  in  flooded  meadows,  they  have  a  very 
marked  similarity  in  all  their  movements.  They  walk 
gracefully,  carry  themselves  in  a  stately  manner,  and 
when  flying  are  the  embodiment  of  grace.  They 
float  easily  rather  than  laboriously  fly. 

"  Unfortunately,  and  to  man's  or  woman's  discredit, 
very  few  of  these  birds  are  now  to  be  seen :  they 
have  been  slaughtered  for  their  plumes."  This,  writ- 
ten of  one  species,  is  applicable  to  all.  This  is  the 
sad  state  of  affairs  in  Florida,  and  in  the  Middle 
States  it  is  even  worse.  Practically,  all  our  heronries 
are  deserted.  It  was  the  habit  of  these  birds  to  build 
in  colonies,  and  in  the  space  of  an  acre  of  woodland 
would  be  a  great  number  of  nests.  Now,  when  the 
herons  breed  the  nest  is  in  some  most  solitary  place, 
and  there  will  not  be  another  pair  of  birds  within 
several  miles.  In  many  respects  the  herons  are  no 
longer  interesting.  A  single  bird  or  a  single  pair 
have  become  a  matter  of  curiosity,  but  the  "  troops" 
that  added  so  much  to  the  landscape  years  ago  have 
gone  from  us  forever. 

It  may  not  be  long  before  we  are  reduced  to  the 
little  "  Fly-up-the-Creek"  as  the  sole  representative 
of  the  herons,  and  even  these  little  fellows  are  in 
some  danger,  as  I  have  heard  of  their  being  eaten. 
This  bird,  which  is  the  Green  Heron,  and  nicknamed 


GREAT  BLUE  HERON. 


HERONS,  RAILS,  ETC.  229 

more  than  all  other  birds  put  together,  is  migratory. 
It  is  first  seen  in  the  Middle  States  about  April  I, 
and  winter  has  fairly  set  in  before  it  retires  to  a  more 
congenial  clime.  As  a  general  thing  they  have  es- 
caped serious  molestation,  and  in  many  localities  are 
very  tame.  I  have  often  walked  within  ten  steps  of 
them  without  their  being  alarmed,  and  more  often 
have  had  them  come  very  near  to  me  when  I  was  sit- 
ting on  a  ditch-bank  watching  the  aquatic  life  before 
me.  I  have  known  them  to  walk  to  the  very  door 
of  a  spring-house,  on  the  watch  for  minnows,  and  pay 
little  attention  to  the  milkmaid,  when  she  appeared. 
A  little  brook  with  fish  and  frogs,  a  few  trees  near 
by  for  a  "  heronry,"  and  these  little  fellows  are  happy. 
Gain  their  confidence,  as  you  readily  can,  and  they 
will  prove  a  constant  source  of  amusement,  and, 
better  than  that,  if  there  can  be  something  better, 
they  will  help  in  keeping  down  the  grasshoppers ; 
and  if  they  are  not  equal  to  swallowing  a  meadow- 
mouse,  they  can  and  will  chase  him  out  of  the  pasture. 

The  nest  of  this  little  heron  is  but  a  mere  matter 
of  a  few  loosely-laid  sticks,  and  the  four  or  five  eggs 
are  in  constant  danger  of  tumbling  to  the  ground, 
and  this  untoward  fate  does  sometimes  befall  the 
young  birds. 

The  Night-heron,  which  is  known  so  generally 
as  the  "  Quok,"  a  name  derived  from  the  bird's  ordi- 
nary cry  when  flying,  is  in  some  respects  a  more  in- 
teresting bird  than  any  other  of  the  family.  It  is 
still  abundant  and,  not  being  extremely  timid,  is 
readily  observed.  As  its  name  implies,  it  is  noc- 
turnal, and  yet  it  is  by  no  means  blind  in  broad  day- 


230  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

light.  It  is  both  migratory  and  resident  in  the  Mid- 
dle States,  but  the  number  that  remain  during  the 
winter  is  comparatively  small,  and  these  overstaying 
birds  are  rather  forlorn  creatures  if  the  weather  is 
very  cold.  As  they  sit  huddled  together  loosely 
wrapped  in  their  feathers,  with  shoulders  up  and 
heads  down  and  their  bills  quite  out  of  sight,  they 
might  readily  be  mistaken  for  inanimate  objects  were 
it  not  that  they  have  a  very  keen  sense  of  hearing 
and  move  if  you  come  very  near  the  trees  in  which 
they  are  resting.  That  they  appreciate  warmth  is 
shown  by  the  fact  that  in  winter  these  birds  will  feed 
at  noon  when  the  warm  springs  have  a  flood  of 
noontide  sunshine  resting  over  them,  and  will  stay 
at  home  during  the  night,  this  being  reversed  in 
moderate  winter  weather  and  during  the  summer. 

Early  in  May,  in  days  gone  by,  these  birds  col- 
lected by  hundreds  at  the  heronries  and  nest  building 
commenced ;  now  single  nests  are  usually  found,  al- 
though we  often  see  ten  or  more  birds  togther  about 
their  feeding-grounds.  In  1860  there  was  an  enor- 
mous heronry  near  the  Delaware  River,  where  a  large 
creek  enters  it  in  Burlington  County,  New  Jersey. 
This  was  disturbed  and  the  birds  so  harassed  by  boys 
stealing  the  eggs  that  early  in  the  summer  the  spot 
was  suddenly  and  entirely  deserted,  and  since  then, 
in  that  vicinity,  the  birds  that  still  come  year  after 
year  build  their  nests  far  apart,  and  seem  in  all  their 
nesting  habits  to  have  instituted  a  complete  change. 

The  night-heron  feeds  principally  upon  fish,  but 
has  also  a  fancy  for  salamanders,  for  I  have  twice 
seen  them  on  a  wooded  hill-side  near  the  springs, 


HERONS,  RAILS,  ETC.  231 

rummaging  among  the  dead  leaves,  and  I  can  im- 
agine no  other  reason  for  their  doing  so,  unless  it  was  to 
catch  the  little  black  salamanders  that  were  there  and 
at  that  time  extremely  abundant.  Again,  in  confine- 
ment, these  birds  seem  to  prefer  the  batrachian  to  fish. 

The  Yellow-crowned  Night-heron  is  a  southern 
species  that  very  seldom  wanders  as  far  north  as  the 
Middle  States.  I  have  seen  it  on  the  Delaware 
meadows  as  far  up  the  river  as  the  limit  of  tide- 
water. 

Of  true  Cranes  we  have  three  species,  of  which, 
as  we  have  seen,  two  were  once  seen  on  the  Atlan- 
tic coast  as  far  north  as  New  Jersey.  Peter  Kalm, 
writing  from  New  Jersey  under  date  of  February 
17,  1749,  says,— 

"  Cranes  were  sometimes  seen  flying  in  the  daytime  to  the  north- 
ward. They  commonly  stop  here  early  in  spring  for  a  short  time, 
but  they  do  not  make  their  nests  here,  for  they  proceed  on  more  to 
the  north.  Certain  old  Swedes  told  me  that  in  their  younger  years, 
as  the  country  was  not  yet  much  cultivated,  an  incredible  number  of 
cranes  were  here  every  spring,  but  at  present  (1749)  they  are  not  so 
numerous.  Several  people  who  have  settled  here  eat  their  flesh  when 
they  can  shoot  them.  They  are  said  to  do  no  harm  to  corn  or  the  like." 

As  given  by  Ridgway,  the  present  range  of  the 
Whooping-crane  is  as  follows :  "  Interior  of  North 
America,  north  to  the  Saskatchewan,  south  to  Florida 
and  Central  Mexico." 

This  crane  is  said  to  be  of  "  the  most  imposing 
appearance  of  any  [bird]  of  this  country."  It  is  more 
than  four  feet  in  length,  and  when  seen  on  the  open 
prairie  is  often  mistaken  for  quite  different  objects 
than  birds  of  any  kind.  Dr.  Coues,  in  "  Birds  of  the 


232  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

Northwest,"  gives  amusing  instances  of  mistakes  of 
this  kind. 

The  Brown  or  Sandhill  Crane  is  a  little  smaller 
bird,  and  slate-gray  varying  to  brown,  instead  of  pure 
white,  like  the  preceding.  Except  in  Florida,  not 
found  east  of  the  Mississippi  River.  Mr.  Dall  found 
these  cranes  breeding  in  Alaska  on  the  Yukon  River, 
the  eggs  "  laid  in  a  small  depression  on  the  sandy 
beach,  without  any  attempt  at  a  nest." 

The  following  from  Wilson,  while  purporting  to 
be  an  account  of  the  whooping-crane,  applies  also  to 
the  sandhill  crane,  which  he  appears  to  have  con- 
sidered the  young  of  the  former.  This  account  is 
of  interest  now  more  particularly,  because  it  is  de- 
scriptive of  a  phase  of  bird-life  on  the  Atlantic  coast 
of  New  Jersey  now  forever  passed  away. 

"  This  is  the  tallest  and  most  stately  species  of  all  the  feathered 
tribes  of  the  United  States ;  the  watchful  inhabitant  of  extensive  salt- 
marshes,  desolate  swamps,  and  open  morasses  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  sea.  Its  migrations  are  regular  and  of  the  most  extensive 
kind,  reaching  from  the  shores  and  inundated  tracts  of  South  America 
to  the  arctic  circle.  In  these  immense  periodical  journeys  they  pass 
at  such  a  prodigious  height  in  the  air  as  to  be  seldom  observed. 
They  have,  however,  their  resting  stages  on  the  route  to  and  from 
their  usual  breeding-places,  the  regions  of  the  north.  A  few  some- 
times make  their  appearance  in  the  marshes  of  Cape  May  in  Decem- 
ber, particularly  on  and  near  Egg  Island,  where  they  are  known  by 
the  name  of  Storks.  The  younger  birds  are  easily  distinguished  from 
the  rest  by  the  brownness  of  their  plumage.  Some  linger  in  these 
marshes  the  whole  winter,  setting  out  north  about  the  time  the  ice 
breaks  up.  During  their  stay  they  wander  along  the  marsh  and 
muddy  flats  of  the  sea-shore  in  search  of  marine  worms,  sailing  occa- 
sionally from  place  to  place,  with  a  low  and  heavy  flight,  a  little  above 
the  surface,  and  have  at  such  times  a  very  formidable  appearance. 
At  times  they  utter  a  loud,  clear,  and  piercing  cry,  which  may  be 


HERONS,  RAILS,  ETC.  233 

heard  at  the  distance  of  two  miles.  They  have  also  various  modu- 
lations of  this  singular  note,  from  the  peculiarity  of  which  they  de- 
rive their  name.  When  wounded,  they  attack  the  gunner  or  his  dog 
with  great  resolution,  and  have  been  known  to  drive  their  sharp  and 
formidable  bill  at  one  stroke  through  a  man's  hand." 


The  march  of  civilization  has  not  made  such  sad 
inroads  upon  the  rails  and  gallinules  as  upon  the 
herons  and  birds  after  their  kind.  The  low  growths 
of  the  marshes  are  too  rank  to  be  successfully 
searched  by  the  omnipresent  gunners,  and  a  vast 
number  of  birds  that  are  with  us  in  season  escape 
the  dangers  to  which  they  have  been  subjected  and 
live  to  come  again.  It  is  to  be  noted,  too,  that  some 
attention  is  paid  to  the  bird's  welfare,  and  during  the 
nesting  season  they  are  protected.  But  laws  or  no 
laws,  a  showy  crane  or  plumed  heron  has  a  trivial 
money  value,  and  is  sure  to  be  shot  down  sooner  or 
later,  even  if  sitting  at  the  time  on  its  nest.  Cer- 
tainly birds,  because  not  fit  to  eat,  should  not  be 
overlooked  by  the  law-makers.  They  have  as  much 
right  to  live  as  quails  or  grouse,  and  besides  being 
useful,  have  a  value  in  being  ornamental,  which  is 
something  to  be  considered,  but  seldom  is.  There  is 
no  unavoidable  reason  why  some  birds  once  common 
are  now  rare.  It  is  not  man's  mere  presence  that 
does  the  mischief,  but  his  fiendish  greed  and  brutal 
indifference  to  the  welfare  of  life  generally. 

In  the  Clapper-rail  of  our  sea-coast,  the  King- 
rail  of  the  fresh-water  marshes,  and  the  Virginia  Rail 
of  both  localities,  we  have  three  well-marked  species 
that  are  very  alike  in  all  respects,  the  Virginia  rail 
being  a  small  edition  of  either  of  the  others.  Of 

20* 


234  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

course  there  are  well-marked  specific  differences,  but 
the  resemblances  are  very  strong,  and  in  their  habits 
the  birds  seem  to  vary  only  as  their  respective  locali- 
ties render  necessary. 

The  rank  growth  of  rush-like  grass  upon  the  low- 
lying  flats  near  the  sea-coast  affords  a  moderately 
secure  home  for  the  clapper-rail  from  April  until 
cold  weather  drives  them  southward.  They  do  not 
go  much  north  of  New  Jersey,  but  there  they  are 
really  very  abundant,  although  the  number  is  de- 
creasing in  consequence  of  the  reckless  destruction 
of  their  nests,  thousands  of  eggs  being  gathered. 
These  birds  announce  their  coming  by  a  quaint 
cackle  that,  when  uttered  by  hundreds  at  once,  as 
sometimes  happens,  sounds  like  the  spring-tide  rat- 
tling of  innumerable  frogs. 

The  King-rail  is  a  rarer  bird,  found  only  in  fresh- 
water marshes,  and  is  found  in  pairs  or  singly, 
rather  than  in  colonies;  yet  it  sometimes  happens 
that  more  than  one  pair  will  occupy  a  very  limited 
bit  of  marsh.  In  a  marshy  tract  of  about  three  acres 
in  extent  I  have  yearly,  for  just  twenty  years,  found 
a  pair  of  king-rails,  and  usually  find  their  nest.  Un- 
like the  salt-water  birds,  they  do  not  cackle  continu- 
ously, but  when  excited  utter  a  kek-kek-kek  that  tells 
you  the  bird  is  near,  but  you  cannot  accurately  locate 
the  sound.  It  varies  from  a  high  key  to  a  low  one 
so  rapidly  that  you  get  the  impression  there  are  a 
number  of  birds  immediately  about  you. 

They  are  hard  to  flush,  preferring  to  run  rather 
than  take  wing.  They  nest  in  the  tall  grasses,  and  the 
young  leave  the  nest  and  run  through  the  grass  when 


CLAPPER-RAIL  AND   NEST. 


HERONS,  RAILS,  ETC.  235 

very  young,  and  being  of  a  uniform  dark-gray  color, 
look  not  unlike  meadow-mice  when  in  motion. 

In  August  these  birds,  both  old  and  young,  extend 
their  wanderings  to  the  river-shore  and  associate  to 
some  extent  with  the  smaller  rail-birds.  They  are 
excellent  swimmers,  and  to  some  extent  crepuscular  in 
habit,  as  I  have  found  them  occasionally  in  the  "  open" 
meadows  after  sunset  and  on  bright  moonlit  nights. 

The  Virginia  Rail,  which  is  a  very  much  smaller 
bird  than  the  preceding,  does  not  differ  in  its  habits 
at  all.  It  comes  to  the  Middle  States  about  the  same 
time,  frequents  the  same  localities,  and  leaves  at  about 
the  same  time  in  autumn.  They  are  more  abun- 
dant, however,  wander  farther  from  the  larger  water- 
courses, and  nest  in  swampy  sink-holes  and  about 
quicksand  meadows  where  there  are  numerous 
springs.  They  are  quicker  on  their  feet  than  on 
their  wings,  and  can  literally  walk  on  water, — that  is, 
on  floating  grass  that  would  not  bear  their  weight  as 
a  lifeless  body.  This  running  over  the  water  is  partly 
accomplished  by  a  quick  motion  of  the  wings  which 
is  scarcely  noticeable. 

In  August  and  September  great  numbers  of  these 
rail-birds  leave  their  more  retired  nesting-places  and 
throng  the  tide-water  marshes,  where,  associated  with 
the  soras,  they  run  the  gauntlet  of  a  thousand  gun- 
ners ;  but  so  numerous  are  they  that  their  ranks  are 
never  so  depleted  that  a  year's  rest  and  nesting  does 
not  restore  their  numbers. 

The  Sora  is,  in  the  knowledge  of  most  people,  the 
rail.  The  others  are  birds  either  never  seen  or  heard 
of,  or  chance  occurrences,  but  everybody  is  sup- 


236  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

posed  to  know  the  little  rail  as  well  as  the  chipping 
sparrows  in  the  garden ;  better,  in  fact,  for  they  are  a 
common  bird  upon  the  table  when  in  season.  This 
bird  comes  to  the  Middle  States  in  May  and  goes  on 
northward,  breeding  in  the  New  England  States  as  a 
rule,  but  Dr.  Warren  states  that  it  nests  in  various 
parts  of  the  State  (Pennsylvania).  In  the  early  sum- 
mer the  habits  of  this  rail-bird  are  precisely  those  of 
the  other  species,  and  the  clicking  sound  they  make 
not  unlike  that  of  the  king-rail,  but  not  so  loud. 
Late  in  July  these  birds  begin  to  congregate  on  the 
marshes  of  our  larger  rivers,  and  where  there  is  an 
abundant  food-supply  there  the  rails  will  gather  in 
hundreds.  It  is  no  uncommon  occurrence  for  two 
men,  one  pushing  the  boat  and  the  other  shooting, 
to  bag  one  hundred  of  these  birds  in  a  day.  Their 
flight  at  this  time  of  the  year  is  so  slow  that  the  bird 
when  it  rises  presents  an  easy  mark ;  but  when  it  is 
satisfied  to  run  rather  than  fly,  it  is  difficult  for  a 
spaniel  to  overtake  it. 

In  every  marsh,  particularly  towards  the  close  of 
summer,  besides  the  various  species  mentioned,  will 
be  found  a  few  little  Yellow-breasted  Rails.  They 
offer  in  habits  no  peculiarities ;  and  in  the  same  locali- 
ties where  these  birds  occur  are  found  two  rail-like 
birds  that  present  a  rather  striking  appearance  as 
seen  standing  on  the  edge  of  a  little  pool,  or  running 
a  few  steps  before  taking  wing.  These  birds  are  the 
Gallinules.  There  are  two,  known  as  the  Purple  and 
Florida  Gallinules,  and  as  seen  stalking  along  the 
grassy  shore  of  some  retired  pond  or  quiet  reach  of 
river-shore,  the  two  birds  look  very  much  alike. 


HERONS,  RAILS,  ETC.  237 

They  are  migratory,  but  both  occur  throughout  the 
United  States  except  on  the  Pacific  coast.  The 
Florida  gallinule  is  much  the  more  common  of  the 
two.  In  the  valley  of  the  Delaware  they  are  rather 
shy,  especially  when  nesting,  but  in  August,  like  the 
king-rails,  are  apt  to  be  noisy  when  excited  or  alarmed. 
Their  utterances  at  this  time  are  a  good  deal  like  the 
imitative  sounds  made  by  the  yellow-breasted  chat. 
One  reason,  perhaps,  why  these  birds  are  not  more 
generally  known  is  that  they  keep  very  much  in  the 
background  during  the  day,  and  are  active  in  the 
early  evening.  This  trait  led  me  to  consider  these 
gallinules  rare  on  the  upper  tide-water  meadows  of 
the  Delaware ;  but  I  learned  recently  that  in  fact  they 
were  not  uncommon,  and  one  of  them  nested  every 
year  in  the  swamps  some  distance  back  from  the 
river  valley.  Dr.  Warren  considers  the  purple  galli- 
nule as  extremely  rare  in  Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter, 
the  Florida  gallinule,  as  uncommon.  This  may  be 
true  of  the  interior  of  the  State,  but  not  of  the  Dela- 
ware Valley  and  of  Southern  New  Jersey.  The 
Florida  gallinule  nested  on  the  shore  of  the  mill- 
pond  in  Bristol,  Pennsylvania,  in  the  early  summer 
of  1893,  and  is  a  familiar  bird  to  all  the  gunners  of 
that  neighborhood. 

The  common  Coot  is  so  seldom  seen,  except  swim- 
ming on  our  ponds  and  inland  creeks,  and,  of  course, 
the  rivers,  that  to  most  people  it  is  much  more  like  a 
duck  than  a  rail-bird,  and  is  known  very  widely  as 
the  "  Crow-duck,"  about  as  absurd  a  name  as  could 
well  be  imagined. 

The  coot   is  migratory  in  the  Middle   and  New 


238  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

England  States,  and  yet  the  time  they  are  absent 
from  the  Middle  States  is  quite  short,  for  they  are 
seen  early  in  April  and  often  late  in  November.  In 
September,  or  perhaps  mid-August,  the  coot  begins  to 
become  common  in  the  Delaware  Valley,  and  many 

tarry  through  our 
Indian  summer  in 
November,  if  we 
have  one;  but  they 
do  not  all  desert 
the  Middle  States 
Coot  i  n  the  early  spring. 

They     breed      on 

Crosswicks  Creek,  in  Burlington  County,  New  Jersey, 
and  have  done  so  for  years  ;  and  during  the  past  sum- 
mer (1893)  I  observed  a  pair  on  the  Delaware  River 
in  the  early  part  of  July,  and  saw  others  in  the  first 
few  days  of  August.  The  nest  of  the  coot  is  made 
of  reeds  and  placed  among  them,  being  safely  secured 
to  the  growing  stems,  but  not,  as  has  been  stated,  so 
fixed  that  it  rose  and  fell  with  the  tide. 

Coots,  as  I  have  observed  them  in  New  Jersey, 
are  both  diurnal  and  nocturnal,  always  prefer  deep 
water,  frequent  mill-ponds,  are  not  shy,  and  do  not 
leave  the  water  except  by  flight,  or  very  rarely.  Oc- 
casionally they  wander  up  ditches  leading  into  the 
creeks,  and  so  get  farther  inland  than  usual.  If  sur- 
prised, they  dive  and  swim  down  the  ditch  with  in- 
credible velocity,  and  soon  find  their  way  into  the 
open  water.  As  an  article  of  food  coots  are  abso- 
lutely worthless. 


DUCKS,  GEESE,  AND  SWANS.  239 


CHAPTER    XII. 

DUCKS,  GEESE,   AND   SWANS. 

THE  birds  mentioned  in  the  heading  of  this  chap- 
ter are  familiar  to  all,  as  they  are  represented 
by  domesticated  forms  and  are  not  restricted  to  any 
particular  locality,  the  Swans  being  less  common 
than  the  others,  because  ornamental  rather  than  use- 
ful. Geese,  Ducks,  and  Swans  as  "  wild  fowl,"  how- 
ever, are  vastly  different  from  their  tamed  representa- 
tives. The  latter  have  lost  all  their  charm,  unless 
the  stateliness  of  the  swan  be  worthy  of  exception ; 
but  these  birds  seen  on  the  broad  waters  of  the 
Chesapeake,  or  far  north,  in  their  breeding  haunts, 
are  in  all  things  the  superiors  of  their  subdued  cousins 
of  the  public  parks. 

Ducks,  Geese,  and  Swans  are  represented  in 
North  America  by  fifty-three  species,  there  being 
three  swans  (one  only  in  Greenland),  two  tree- 
ducks  (only  found  in  Mexico  and  in  limited  districts 
adjoining  that  country's  northern  boundary),  seven 
or  eight  geese,  and  the  rest  true  ducks.  The  greater 
number  of  these  birds  are  widely  scattered,  and  are 
a  prominent  feature  not  only  of  our  sea-coast  at  cer- 
tain seasons,  but  follow  up  all  our  watercourses  and 
reach  the  interior  of  our  country  pretty  thoroughly. 
Strong  of  wing,  mere  distance  has  no  significance 


240  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

for  them.  The  flock  of  ducks  that  sports  about  the 
river  here  to-day  may  to-morrow  be  hundreds  of 
miles  away.  This  tremendous  power  of  flight  makes 
migration  scarcely  a  task,  and  as  a  result  the  greater 
number  of  wild  fowl  breed  in  the  far  north.  Were  it 
not  for  this,  the  list  of  recently  extinct  species  would 
soon  be  swelled  to  a  very  significant  extent.  As  it 
is,  the  numbers  of  many  species  have  materially  de- 
creased and  one,  at  least,  has  disappeared. 

Under  date  of  November  9,  1748,  Peter  Kalm,  a 
Swedish  naturalist  then  staying  in  Southern  New 
Jersey,  wrote, — 

"  All  the  old  Swedes  and  Englishmen  born  in  America,  whom  I 
ever  questioned,  asserted  that  there  were  not  near  so  many  birds  fit 
for  eating  at  present  as  there  used  to  be  when  they  were  children, 
and  that  their  decrease  was  visible.  They  even  said  that  they  had 
heard  their  fathers  complain  of  this,  in  whose  childhood  the  bays, 
rivers,  and  brooks  were  quite  covered  with  all  sorts  of  water-fowl, 
such  as  wild  geese,  ducks,  and  the  like.  But  at  present  there  is 
sometimes  not  a  single  bird  upon  them ;  about  sixty  or  seventy  years 
ago,  a  single  person  could  kill  eighty  ducks  in  a  morning,  but  at 
present  you  frequently  wait  in  vain  for  a  single  one.  A  Swede  above 
ninety  years  old  assured  me  that  he  had  in  his  youth  killed  twenty- 
three  "ducks  at  a  shot.  This  good  luck  nobody  is  likely  to  have  at 
present,  as  you  are  forced  to  ramble  about  for  a  whole  day  with- 
out getting  a  sight  of  more  than  three  or  four.  .  .  .  The  wild 
Turkeys,  and  the  birds  which  the  Swedes  in  this  country  call  Par- 
tridges and  Hazel-hens,  were  in  whole  flocks  in  the  woods.  But 
at  this  time  a  person  is  tired  with  walking  before  he  can  start  a 
single  bird. 

"  The  cause  of  this  diminution  is  not  difficult  to  find.  Before  the 
arrival  of  the  Europeans  the  country  was  uncultivated  and  full  of 
great  forests.  The  few  Indians  that  lived  here  seldom  disturbed  the 
birds.  They  carried  on  no  trade  among  themselves,  iron  and  gun- 
powder were  unknown  to  them.  One-hundredth  part  of  the  fowl 
which  at  that  time  were  so  plentiful  here  would  have  sufficed  to  feed 


DUCKS,  GEESE,  AND  SWANS.  241 

the  few  inhabitants ;  and  considering  that  they  cultivated  their  small 
maize-fields,  caught  fish,  hunted  stags,  beavers,  bears,  wild  cattle,  and 
other  animals  whose  flesh  was  delicious  to  them,  it  will  soon  appear 
how  little  they  disturbed  the  birds.  But  since  the  arrival  of  great 
crowds  of  Europeans  things  are  greatly  changed :  the  country  is  well 
peopled  and  the  woods  are  cut  down ;  the  people  increasing  in  this 
country,  they  have  by  hunting  and  shooting  in  part  extirpated  the 
birds,  in  part  scared  them  away;  in  spring  the  people  still  take  both 
eggs,  mothers,  and  young  indifferently,  because  no  regulations  are 
made  to  the  contrary.  And  if  any  had  been  made,  the  spirit  of  free- 
dom which  prevails  in  the  country  would  not  suffer  them  to  be 
obeyed.  But  though  eatable  birds  have  been  diminished  greatly,  yet 
there  are  others  which  have  rather  increased  than  decreased  in  num- 
ber since  the  arrival  of  the  Europeans." 

The  practical  extermination  of  wild  fowl,  especially 
on  inland  waters,  which  long  ago  was  supposed  would 
soon  be  accomplished,  has  not  yet  taken  place,  and 
even  on  rivers  where  there  is  much  steamboat  travel 
and  endless  loafing  in  pleasant  weather,  and  no  laws 
on  the  subject  of  fowl-shooting,  the  ducks  and  even 
geese  are  more  abundant  to-day  than  when  Kalm 
wrote  one  hundred  and  forty-five  years  ago.  This, 
however,  has  no  real  bearing  upon  the  general  state- 
ment as  made,  that  our  wild  fowl  are  decreasing  in 
numbers,  extraordinarily  abundant  as  they  are  in 
some  localities.  Again,  they  are  driven  more  and 
more  from  their  old  feeding-grounds  and  congregate 
in  waters  so  wide  and  open  that  approach  is  ex- 
tremely difficult.  The  question  of  primary  impor- 
tance is,  Cannot  some  check  be  put  to  the  whole- 
sale slaughter  that  at  many  points  still  goes  on? 
Certainly  it  is  to  be  hoped  so,  and  the  fate  that  has 
overtaken  the  herons  be  averted  from  less  showy  but 
more  valuable  birds. 

L          q  21 


242  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

The  two  swans  that  are  found  in  the  United  States 
are  migratory.  The  Trumpeter  Swan  is  the  Western 
species,  found  "  chiefly  from  the  Mississippi  Valley, 
and  northward,  to  the  Pacific,  Hudson's  Bay,  Canada. 
Casually  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  Breeds  from  Iowa 
and  Dakota  northward.  In  winter,  south  to  the 
Gulf."  (Coues.)  As  the  common  descriptive  name 
indicates,  these  birds  have  a  loud  cry  or  trumpet-call 
that  is  even  said  to  be  "  startling,"  so  strange  and 
unbirdlike  is  its  character.  Hearne,  Nuttall  quotes  to 
the  effect  that  he  had  heard  them  "  in  serene  evenings 
after  sunset  make  a  noise  not  very  unlike  that  of  a 
French  horn,  but  entirely  divested  of  every  note  that 
constituted  melody."  Dr.  Newberry,  in  the  "  Pacific 
Railroad  Reports"  (1857),  says, — 

"  The  Trumpeter  Swan  visits  California  with  its  congeners,  the 
Ducks  and  Geese,  in  their  annual  migrations,  but,  compared  with  the 
myriads  of  other  water-birds  which  congregate  at  that  season  in  the 
bays  and  rivers  of  the  West,  it  is  always  rare ;  .  .  .  frequently,  while 
at  Fort  Vancouver,  their  trumpeting  drew  our  attention  to  the  long 
converging  lines  of  these  magnificent  birds,  so  large  and  so  snowy 
white  as  they  came  from  their  northern  nesting-places,  and,  scream- 
ing their  delight  at  the  appearance  of  the  broad  expanse  of  water, 
perhaps  their  winter  home,  descended  into  the  Columbia." 

The  Whistling  Swan  is  the  Eastern  species,  although 
it  winters  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  it  comes  trooping 
southward  in  October,  or  later,  and  passes  southward 
until  it  reaches  the  Chesapeake,  where  many  tarry, 
but  many  more  go  farther  south.  It  is  only  occa- 
sionally that  a  swan  is  seen  on  the  Delaware,  but  in 
Peter  Kalm's  time  and  up  to  1800  the  bird  was  not 
uncommon  as  far  north  as  the  tide-water  portion  of 


DUCKS,  GEESE,  AND  SWANS.  243 

the  Delaware  Valley.  Old  maps  and  deeds  refer  to 
Swan  Point  and  Swan  Island  too  frequently  not  to 
indicate  that  the  names  came  in  use  through  the  one- 


Whistling  Swan. 

time  occurrence  of  these  birds.  Dr.  Warren  speaks 
of  these  birds  as  common  at  certain  seasons  on  Lake 
Erie  and  along  the  rivers.  Steamboats  have  effectu- 
ally driven  them  from  the  Delaware.  According  to 
Mr.  Dall,  who  saw  these  birds  in  numbers  on  the 
Yukon  River,  "the  eggs  are  usually  in  a  tussock 
quite  surrounded  by  water,  so  that  the  female  must 
sometimes  sit  with  her  feet  in  the  water."  The  swans 
when  flying  utter  a  shrill  note,  like  phwee-oo-od.  You 
hear  the  same  cry  occasionally  when  the  wind  screams 
through  ice-coated  telegraph-wires. 

In  the  Wild  Geese  we  have  birds  of  a  more  com- 
monplace character,  yet  they  are  very  interesting 
outside  of  the  attractions  they  possess  for  the  sports- 
man. There  is  a  wealth  of  suggestiveness  in  hearing 
the  "  honk"  of  wild  geese  in  early  spring  that  would 


244  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

make  the  bird  very  welcome  had  they  no  value  other- 
wise, or  forever  kept  beyond  the  rifle's  range. 

Of  the  seven  or  eight  species  of  geese  found  in 
this  country,  the  Canada  Goose  and  Brant  on  the 
Atlantic  coast  and  the  White-fronted  and  Snow 
Goose  on  the  Pacific  side  are  probably  the  most 
abundant.  These  birds  all  breed  in  the  far  north, 
and  enter  the  United  States  in  autumn  and  return  in 
spring. 

In  the  more  densely  settled  regions,  even  where 
there  are  no  large  towns  upon  our  river-banks  for 
many  miles,  the  appearance  of  geese  on  our  Eastern 
rivers  is  not  any  more  a  common  occurrence.  It  is 
true  that  these  birds  are  killed  every  autumn  by  profes- 
sional gunners,  but  the  flocks  that  fly  over  far  exceed 
in  number  the  few  that  tarry  even  for  a  day.  Con- 
trary winds  and  dense  fogs  sometimes  force  the  mi- 
grating geese  to  stop  where  they  would  never  volun- 
tarily halt,  as  in  open  fields,  on  mill-ponds,  and  in  the 
river  within  sight  of  town.  Such  haps  on  their  part 
generally  prove  to  be  mishaps.  It  is  along  the  sea- 
coast,  or  in  the  far  West,  along  the  great  river  val- 
leys, that  wild  geese  are  to  be  seen  in  their  glory, 
and  when  followed  persistently  by  the  professional 
gunners,  in  their  misery.  Wilson  says  of  the  Canada 
goose,  in  part,  as  follows : 

"•  The  flight  of  the  Wild  Geese  is  heavy  and  laborious,  generally 
in  a  straight  line,  or  in  two  lines  approximating  to  a  point,  thus  >  ; 
in  both  cases  the  van  is  led  by  an  old  gander,  who  every  now  and 
then  pipes  his  well-known  honk,  as  if  to  ask  how  they  come  on,  and 
the  honk  of  '  all's  well'  is  generally  returned  by  some  of  the  party. 
Their  course  is  in  a  straight  line,  with  the  exception  of  the  undula- 
tions of  their  flight.  When  bewildered  in  foggy  weather  they  appear 


DUCKS,  GEESE,  AND  SWANS.  245 

sometimes  to  be  in  great  distress,  flying  about  in  an  irregular  manner, 
and  for  a  considerable  time  over  the  same  quarter,  making  a  great 
clamor.  On  these  occasions  should  they  approach  the  earth  and 
alight,  which  they  sometimes  do  to  rest  and  re-collect  themselves, 
the  only  hospitality  they  meet  with  is  death  and  destruction  from  a 
whole  neighborhood  already  in  arms  for  their  ruin." 

There  are  three  narrow-billed  ducks  that  are  called 
in  Eastern  waters  "  Sawbills,"  or  "  Sheldrakes."  One 
is  a  buff-breasted  bird,  common  enough  in  season 
on  the  sea-coast;  another  a  red-breasted  bird,  that 
frequents  inland  waters  much  more  than  does  the 
preceding ;  and  the  "  Hooded"  or  "  Black-and-white 
Sawbill."  These  are  all  very  handsome  species  and 
of  no  value  as  food,  being  intolerably  fishy.  They 
enter  into  the  list  of  what  gunners  call  "  trash  ducks," 
and  I  do  not  wonder. 

The  Sheldrakes  all  breed  in  the  northern  regions, 
and  in  the  United  States  are  strictly  migratory.  Of 
the  thirty-four  or  five  species  of  ducks  there  are 
some  few  that  are  strictly  marine,  a  few  that  never 
seek  salt  water,  and  the  rest  find  themselves  equally 
at  home,  whether  along  our  coast,  on  our  lakes,  or 
following  the  tortuous  courses  of  our  many  rivers. 

In  the  Middle  States  the  Mallard,  Black  Duck,  the 
two  Teal,  the  Widgeon,  Sprig-tail,  Golden-eye,  and 
Wood-duck  are  all  common  to  our  inland  waters,  even 
going  well  upland  and  feeding  on  the  mill-ponds. 

Occasionally,  wild  ducks  remain  within  the  boun- 
daries of  the  United  States,  but  the  great  majority 
go  into  British  America  and  nest  in  the  northern 
wilderness.  It  is  not  improbable,  however,  that  many 
of  these  birds,  even  so  recently  as  two  centuries  ago, 


246  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

nested  much  southward  of  the  present  limits  of  their 
migrations  in  spring.  Indefinite  references  to  "  wild 
fowl"  in  summer  in  old  colonial  records  and  travel- 
lers' journals  and  some  manuscript  records,  seem 
to  imply  that  many  ducks  were  to  be  seen  about  our 
large  watercourses  during  what  is  now  their  nesting 
season. 

The  single  duck  that  may  be  said  to  be  a  fixed 
resident  is  the  Wood-duck,  and  it  is  highly  probable 
that  these  birds  were  once  extremely  abundant  and 
went  about  in  flocks.  The  mallard  and  black  duck, 
the  gadwall  and  possibly  the  teal  were  resident  to 


Golden-eyed  Duck. 


some  extent  in  the  seventeenth  century,  and  the  first 
two  named  are  still  found  breeding  south  of  Canada. 
That  some  non-mated  ducks  are  always  about,  even  in 
summer,  is  unquestionable.  It  occasionally  happens 
that  long  after  the  migratory  ducks  have  gone  north, 


DUCKS,  GEESE,  AND  SWANS.  .247 

in  spring,  we  have  a  high  freshet  in  some  river  valley 
and  a  general  flooding  of  the  lowlands.  At  such  a 
time  single  ducks  of  several  species  are  very  sure  to 
make  their  appearance.  I  once  spoke  of  this  to  an 
old  gunner,  and  he  told  me  that  these  "  odd  birds 
were  mostly  drakes."  But  where  are  they  in  ordi- 
nary stages  of  the  water  ?  They  are  not  seen  at  all 
times,  and  so  can  scarcely  be  included  with  the  "  pen- 
sioners," or  slightly  wounded  ducks  we  see  occasion- 
ally in  Chesapeake  Bay, — birds  just  enough  crippled 
not  to  be  able  to  migrate. 

When  for  some  undeterminable  reason  wild  ducks 
venture  upon  our  rivers,  close  to  the  danger-line  of  a 
town's  limits,  they  exercise  a  wonderful  deal  of  inge- 
nuity, and  would  not  be  detected  by  the  ordinary 
passer-by.  The  keen-eyed  duck-hunter  spies  them 
out  occasionally  and  outwits  them;  but  the  tables 
are  as  often  turned,  and  every  one  escape.  It  is 
really  remarkable  how  many  ducks  come  and  go,  up 
and  down  our  rivers,  unseen  by  the  people  living  on 
the  bank  of  the  stream.  The  gunners  bring  into 
the  town  many  a  duck  that  is  known  only  to  the 
inhabitants  as  a  dead  bird ;  the  living  one  they 
never  saw ;  and  yet  a  flock  of  ducks  feeding  on  a 
broad  expanse  of  water  is  well  worth  seeing.  The 
glossy  green  heads  of  Mallards,  the  bald  pates  of 
Widgeon,  the  great  loose-feathered  topknot  of  a 
Butter-ball,  the  delicate  gray  plumage  and  tapering 
tail  of  a  Sprig-tail,  the  parti-colored  Shoveller,  to 
gether,  or  singly,  give  a  picturesqueness  to  some  wide 
reach  of  the  river  that  is  worth  a  long  journey  to  see. 
The  extreme  timidity  of  these  birds  makes  this  well- 


248  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

nigh  impossible.  The  birds  are  all  here,  and  at  times 
many  kinds  are  congregated,  but  they  have  learned 
from  sad  experience  how  dangerous  it  is  to  be  abroad 
where  man  is,  and  so  keep  at  a  long  distance.  They 
feed  early  in  the  day  or  in  the  gloaming,  and  hide 
most  effectually  during  the  mid-day  hours.  This  is 
as  we  find  them  on  the  Eastern  rivers,  but  in  the 
West,  where  they  are  always  far  more  numerous,  they 
lose  much  of  this  excessive  caution,  and  as  a  conse- 
quence are  slaughtered  by  the  thousands. 

The  beautiful  wood-duck  is  still  abundant  and  has 
been  able  to  hold  its  own,  because  of  its  timidity  at 
certain  seasons  and  ability  to  hide  successfully  in  the 
smallest  bits  of  cover.  Scenting  or  hearing  danger, 
it  will  disappear  in  a  little  clump  of  weeds,  and  if 
tracked  by  a  dog,  will  dive  and  completely  baffle  the 
persistent  spaniel.  The  nesting  habits  of  the  wood- 
duck  are  thus  described  by  Wilson  : 

"  On  the  eighteenth  of  May  I  visited  a  tree  containing  the  nest 
of  a  Summer-duck,  on  the  banks  of  Tuckahoe  River,  New  Jersey. 
It  was  an  old  grotesque  white  oak,  whose  top  had  been  torn  off  by  a 
storm.  It  stood  on  the  declivity  of  the  bank,  about  twenty  yards 
from  the  water.  In  this  hollow  and  broken  top,  and  about  six  feet 
down  on  the  soft  decayed  wood,  lay  thirteen  eggs  snugly  covered 
with  down,  doubtless  taken  from  the  breast  of  the  bird.  .  .  . 

"  This  tree  had  been  occupied,  probably  by  the  same  pair,  for  four 
successive  years  in  breeding-time ;  the  person  who  gave  me  the  in- 
formation, and  whose  house  was  within  twenty  or  thirty  yards  of  the 
tree,  said  that  he  had  seen  the  female,  the  spring  preceding,  carry 
down  thirteen  young,  one  by  one,  in  less  than  ten  minutes.  She 
caught  them  in  her  bill  by  the  wing  or  back  of  the  neck,  and  landed 
them  safely  at  the  foot  of  the  tree,  whence  she  afterwards  led  them 
to  the  water.  Under  this  same  tree,  at  the  time  I  visited  it,  a  large 
sloop  lay  on  the  stocks  nearly  finished,  the  deck  was  not  more  than 
twelve  feet  distant  from  the  nest ;  yet  notwithstanding  the  presence 


DUCKS,  GEESE,  AND  SWANS.  249 

and  noise  of  the  workmen,  the  ducks  would  not  abandon  theii  old 
breeding-place,  but  continued  to  pass  out  and  in  as  if  no  person  had 
been  near.  The  male  usually  perched  on  an  adjoining  limb  and 
kept  watch  while  the  female  was  laying,  and  also  often  while  she 
was  sitting.  .  .  . 

"  The  Summer-duck  seldom  flies  in  flocks  of  more  than  three  or 
four  individuals  together,  and  most  commonly  in  pairs,  or  singly. 
The  common  note  of  the  drake  is  peet,  feet;  but  when,  standing 
sentinel,  he  sees  danger,  he  makes  a  noise  not  unlike  the  crowing  of 
a  young  cock,  oe  eek  I  oe  eek  !  Their  food  consists  principally  of 
acorns,  seeds  of  the  wild  oats,  and  insects.  .  .  . 

"  Among  other  gaudy  feathers  with  which  the  Indians  ornament 
the  calumet,  or  pipe  of  peace,  the  skin  of  the  head  and  neck  of  the 
Summer-duck  is  frequently  seen  covering  the  stem." 

It  is  not  strange  that  the  wood-duck  should  have 
strongly  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Indians.  Its 
wondrous  beauty  naturally  appealed  to  a  savage 
people  fond  of  personal  decoration  and  bright  colors. 
They  carved  the  head  of  this  duck  in  steatite  as  an 
ornamental  smoking-pipe,  and  we  find  it  also  moulded 
in  clay  in  the  elaborate  pottery  of  the  mound-builders. 

Of  our  black  duck,  so  common  on  inland  waters 
as  well  as  the  "  ponds"  of  our  sea-coast  marshes,  Ord, 
the  biographer  of  Wilson,  remarks, — 

"  Of  all  our  ducks  this  is  perhaps  the  most  sagacious  and  the  most 
fearful  of  man.  In  the  neighborhood  of  Philadelphia  they  are  found 
in  great  numbers;  they  are,  notwithstanding,  hard  to  be  obtained,  in 
consequence  of  their  extreme  vigilance  and  their  peculiar  habits. 
During  the  day  they  chiefly  abandon  the  marshes  and  float  in  consid- 
erable bodies  on  the  Delaware,  taking  their  repose  with  the  usual 
precaution  of  employing  wakeful  sentinels  to  give  notice  of  danger. 
In  the  evening  they  resort  to  the  muddy  flats  and  shores,  and  occupy 
themselves  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  night  in  seeking  for 
food.  When  searching  out  their  feeding-grounds  every  individual 
is  on  the  alert,  and  on  the  slightest  appearance  of  an  enemy  the  whole 
mount  and  scatter,  in  such  a  manner  that  in  a  flock  of  a  hundred  it 


250  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

would  be  difficult  to  knock  down  more  than  two  or  three  at  one  shot. 
Their  sense  of  smell  is  uncommonly  acute,  and  their  eyesight,  if 
we  may  judge  from  their  activity  at  night,  must  be  better  than  that 
of  most  species.  When  wounded  on  the  water  they  will  immediately 
take  to  the  shore,  if  in  the  vicinity,  and  conceal  themselves  under  the 
first  covert,  so  that  one  accustomed  to  this  habit  can  have  no  difficulty 
in  finding  them." 

Along  the  Atlantic  seaboard  the  marine  ducks,  or 
such  as  are  found  in  that  region  in  abundance  and 
but  sparingly  inland,  are  known  as  migratory  birds 
now,  whatever  in  the  distant  long  ago  might  have  been 
their  breeding  habits.  Prominent  among  these  are 
the  "  Red-head"  and  "  Canvas-back,"  so  highly  prized 
as  food ;  the  two  "  Broad-bills,"  the  "  Whistler,"  "  But- 
ter-ball," and  Ruddy  Duck.  As  sea-coast  "fowl," 
spending  their  time  in  feeding  where  they  can  and 
eluding  the  gunners  if  they  can,  these  birds  do  not 
present  any  marked  habits  that  are  of  special  interest. 
In  the  northwest  some  of  these  ducks  breed  within 
the  limits  of  the  United  States,  but  now  probably 
never  do  so  south  of  the  northern  boundary  of 
Maine,  or  in  its  northernmost  counties. 

The  Eider-ducks,  so  well  known  for  the  down 
they  provide,  or  rather  are  forced  to  yield  up  to  man, 
are  marine  species,  and  yet  occasionally  have  been 
met  with  as  far  inland  as  the  Great  Lakes.  The 
Scoters,  or  "  Coots,"  are  three  in  number,  that  are 
found  at  sea  along  our  sea-coast  in  autumn  and 
winter.  They  are  migratory,  and  in  the  west  are 
found  also  on  our  large  rivers  and  the  lakes.  They 
breed  in  the  north.  Of  the  American  Scoter,  as  it 
is  called,  Wilson  writes  as  follows,  and  the  quotation 
will  as  well  apply  to  the  others  as  seen  on  our  coast : 


DUCKS,  GEESE,  AND  SWANS.  25 1 

"  This  duck  is  but  little  known  along  our  sea-coast,  being  more 
usually  met  with  in  the  northern  than  southern  districts,  and  only 
during  the  winter.  Its  food  is  shell-fish,  for  which  it  is  almost  per- 
petually diving.  That  small  bivalve  so  often  mentioned,  small  mus- 
cles, spout-fish,  called  on  the  coast  razor-handles,  young  clams,  etc., 
furnish  it  with  abundant  fare,  and  wherever  these  are  plenty  the 
Scoter  is  an  occasional  visitor.  They  swim,  seemingly  at  ease,  amidst 
the  very  roughest  of  the  surf,  but  fly  heavily  along  the  surface  and  to 
no  great  distance.  They  rarely  penetrate  far  up  our  rivers,  but  seem 
to  prefer  the  neighborhood  of  the  ocean,  differing  in  this  respect  from 
the  Cormorant,  which  often  makes  extensive  visits  to  the  interior.'' 


252  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

PELICANS,  CORMORANTS,  AND    PETRELS. 

IT  is  a  fact  that  probably  but  few  have  thought  of, 
that,  in  the  absence  of  all  human  testimony,  we 
could  build  up  a  natural  history  of  this  country  as  it 
was  just  prior  to  the  Columbian  discovery.  Possibly 
this  record,  based  upon  bones,  would  be  as  substan- 
tially correct  as  that  which  we  are  disposed  to  accept, 
based  upon  the  vague  references  to  animal  life  scat- 
tered through  the  "  Journals"  and  "  Records"  of  this 
and  that  early  traveller  in  North  America.  Those 
who  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  this  country  when, 
zoologically  speaking,  it  was  in  its  prime,  seem  one 
and  all  to  have  been  especially  unfitted  for  telling  us 
what  we  now  would  like  to  know,  and  have  left  be- 
hind them  details  reflecting  little  credit  upon  them- 
selves or  their  successors.  The  history  of  the  In- 
dian and  wild  life  generally  would  be  invaluable  now, 
and  what  we  have  is  rubbish.  But  the  Indian  has 
unintentionally  left  some  records  that  go  a  good  way 
in  leading  us  to  shrewdly  guess  the  whole  truth. 

It  is  apparent  to  any  one  familiar  with  natural  his- 
tory that  our  Atlantic  sea-coast  and  the  valleys  of 
our  principal  rivers  that  empty  directly  into  the  ocean 
are  now  sadly  lacking  in  those  bird-features  that 
characterize  the  Pacific  coast  and  the  (until  recently) 


PELICANS,  CORMORANTS,  AND  PETRELS.       253 

Floridian  peninsula.  We  have  a  few  gulls  even  at 
our  city  wharves,  but  nothing  more.  This  was  not 
always  the  case.  The  records  of  innumerable  feasts 
and  countless  camp-fires  of  the  Indians  remain  in  the 
mounds  of  shells,  bones,  and  ashes  that  we  find  along 
the  coast,  and  in  the  ash-pits  and  fire-sites  in  our 
river  valleys.  These  tell  of  great  birds  in  abundance ; 
but  from  June  to  October,  1893,  anywhere  from  Maine 
to  Mary  land,  were  pelicans  or  cormorants  really  abun- 
dant, or  even  seen  at  all  ?  Petrels  we  have,  because 
they  are  yet  beyond  man's  fiendish  ingenuity  to  de- 
stroy, but  not  so  of  the  large,  sluggish  sea-side  and 
river-side  dwellers.  How  utterly  absurd  it  would 
have  sounded  in  men's  ears  a  century  ago  to  have 
spoken  of  the  possibility  of  exhausting  the  stock  of 
food-fishes  in  the  sea !  Yet  this  is  a  subject  that  has 
received  serious  attention  from  legislative  bodies. 

There  is  marked  on  an  old  map  of  New  Jersey  a 
stream  flowing  into  the  Delaware  River  that  in  the 
Indian  tongue  was  known  as  Mechen-tsiholens  sippu, 
or  Big-bird  Creek,  and  a  bone  of  a  pelican  found  in 
an  ash-pit  on  the  bank  of  that  stream  has  always  led 
me  to  think  that  this  was  the  bird  to  which  they 
referred,  although  not  far  away  from  the  old  Indian 
village  was  a  spot  in  the  river  "  that  never  freezes,  and 
where  swans  do  congregate."  When,  I  wonder,  was 
the  last  pelican  seen  on  the  Delaware,  more  than  one 
hundred  miles  from  its  mouth  ?  Dr.  Turnbull  says 
it  "  has  been  seen  at  rare  intervals  on  the  Delaware, 
and  on  the  sea-coast  near  Cape  May."  Ridgway 
reports  it  "  rare  along  the  Atlantic  coast  of  the  United 
States."  Dr.  Warren  states  it  to  be  very  rare  in  Penn- 


254  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

sylvania,  but  mentions  a  sufficient  number  of  instances 
of  its  being  seen  or  shot  to  warrant  my  inference  that 
at  one  time  the  pelican  was  not  uncommon. 


Pelican. 

West  of  the  Mississippi  it  is  common.  Dr.  Coues 
says,  "  It  formerly  bred  in  immense  numbers  about 
Great  Salt  Lake,  where  it  has  decreased  in  abundance 
of  late."  Ridgway  found  it  breeding  "  in  vast  bands" 
about  Pyramid  Lake  in  Nevada,  the  nest  being  merely 
a  heaping  up  of  the  earth  to  a  height  of  a  few  inches. 

Nuttall,  quoting  Richardson  (the  author  of  "  Fauna 


PELICANS,  CORMORANTS,  AND  PETRELS.       255 

Boreali-Americana"),  states  that  in  the  fur  countries 
they  "  deposit  their  eggs  usually  on  small  rocky 
islands  on  the  banks  of  cascades  where  they  can 
scarcely  be  approached,  but  still  are  by  no  means  shy. 
They  live  together  generally  in  flocks  of  from  six  to 
fourteen,  and  fly  low  and  heavily,  sometimes  abreast, 
at  others  in  an  oblique  line ;  and  they  are  often  seen 
to  pass  close  over  a  building,  or  within  a  few  yards 
of  a  party  of  men,  without  exhibiting  any  signs  of 
fear." 

Their  food  is  fish  principally,  but  other  forms  of 
animal  life  are  not  refused  by  them. 

J.  K.  Lord,  describing  the  white  pelicans  as  he  saw 
them  in  British  Columbia,  says,  seeing  for  the  first 
time  their  breeding-grounds,  "  Their  nests  were  on 
the  ground  amidst  the  rushes,  .  .  .  simply  a  con- 
fused heap  of  rushes  with  a  lot  of  down  and  feathers 
in  the  centre.  On  the  water  these  huge  birds  swim 
as  easily,  buoyantly,  and  gracefully  as  swans ;  and  in 
fishing  do  not  swoop  down  from  a  height  as  does  the 
brown  pelican,  but  thrust  their  heads  under  water 
and  regularly  spoon  up  small  fish  with  their  im- 
mense pouched  beaks." 

The  Brown  Pelican  is  said  by  Ridgway  to  belong 
properly  to  the  "  coasts  and  islands  of  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  and  Caribbean  Sea,  including  West  Indies ; 
north,  regularly,  to  North  Carolina."  Beyond  that  all 
occurrence  is  "  accidental,"  and  I  wish  a  great  many 
more  "  accidents"  would  occur  in  the  course  of 
nature ;  it  would  'liven  up  matters  considerably. 

Moseley,  in  his  "  Naturalist  on  the  '  Challenger,'  " 
says  that  as  the  ship  steamed  into  the  harbor  of  the 


256  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

island  of  St.  Thomas  "  a  number  of  brown  pelicans 
were  flying  at  a  moderate  height  near  the  shore,  and 
every  now  and  then  dashing  down  with  closed  wings 
into  the  water  on  their  prey  like  gannets,  their  close 
allies.  Often  several  of  the  birds  dashed  down  to- 
gether at  the  same  instant."  And  again,  "  Flights  of 
brown  pelicans  kept  passing  over  our  heads,  flying 
always  almost  exactly  over  the  same  spot  on  their 
way  from  one  feeding-ground  to  another.  We  shot 
a  number  of  them  as  they  flew  over,  at  the  desire  of 
the  German  overseer  of  the  farm  where  we  had  left 
our  horses,  who  wanted  the  birds  for  eating.  I 
should  have  thought  a  pelican  to  have  been,  next  to 
a  vulture,  almost  the  least  palatable  of  birds,  but  the 
man  said  they  were  very  good." 

In  its  habits  generally  this  species  does  not  mate- 
rially differ  from  the  preceding. 

Within  the  boundaries  of  North  America  there 
are  found  five  or  six  species  of  cormorants,  and  sev- 
eral varieties  of  one  or  more  species.  One  of  these, 
the  Common  Cormorant,  or  "  Shag,"  is  found  in 
various  parts  of  the  world,  Ridgway  giving  as  its 
range  "  Europe,  together  with  portions  of  Asia  and 
Africa ;  Atlantic  coast  of  North  America,  south,  in 
winter,  to  coast  of  New  Jersey."  The  Double-crested 
Cormorant  is  a  strictly  American  species,  belonging 
to  "  Northeastern  North  America,  south,  in  winter,  to 
Gulf  coast,  breeding  from  Northern  United  States 
northward."  This  latter  species  ranges  extensively 
throughout  the  interior  of  the  continent, — that  is,  in 
the  Mississippi  Valley.  It  was,  like  the  pelican,  once 
known  to  pass  up  the  valley  of  the  Delaware  and 


PELICANS,  CORMORANTS,  AND  PETRELS.       257 

Susquehanna,  but  is  reported  now  by  Dr.  Warren  to 
occur  in  Pennsylvania  only  on  the  lake-shore  in  Erie 
County.  Dr.  Turnbull  says  they  are  "  rare ;"  many, 
however,  pass  along  the  coast  to  winter  farther  south. 

As  the  cormorant  feeds  almost  exclusively  on  fish, 
if  not  quite  so,  it  is  necessarily  an  expert  swimmer 
and  diver.  It  can  remain  a  long  time,  too,  under 
water.  "  The  activity  the  bird  displays  under  water 
is  almost  incredible  to  those  who  have  not  seen  its 
performances,  and  in  a  shallow  river  scarcely  a  fish 
escapes  its  keen  eyes  and  sudden  turns,  except  by 
taking  refuge  under  a  stone  or  root,  or  in  the  mud 
that  may  be  stirred  up  during  the  operation,  and  so 
avoiding  observation." 

This  bird  builds  a  conical  nest  of  sticks  with  a  de- 
pression at  the  top.  In  some  localities  this  and  the 
preceding  are  found  nesting  in  the  same  place.  They 
choose  cliff-sides,  surfaces  of  rocky  islands,  and  some- 
times trees.  They  are  soon  fouled  by  the  excre- 
ment of  the  birds,  and  with  the  ground  immediately 
surrounding  "  generally  look  as  though  bespattered 
with  whitewash." 

Moseley,  in  "  Naturalist  on  the '  Challenger/  "  gives 
the  following  amusing  anecdote  of  a  species  of  cormo- 
rant he  saw  in  the  South  Pacific  at  Kerguelen  Land. 

"  An  idea  of  the  relations  of  the  various  birds  to  one  another  in 
the  struggle  for  existence  will  be  gained  from  the  following  incident : 
I  saw  a  cormorant  rise  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  lifting  its 
head,  make  desperate  efforts  to  gorge  a  small  fish  which  it  had  caught, 
evidently  knowing  its  danger,  and  in  a  fearful  hurry  to  get  it  down. 
Before  it  could  swallow  its  prey,  down  came  a  gull,  snatched  the  fish 
after  a  light  struggle,  and  carried  it  off  to  the  rocks  on  the  shore. 
Here  a  lot  of  other  gulls  immediately  began  to  assert  their  right  to  a 
r  22* 


258  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

share,  when  down  swooped  a  skua  from  aloft,  right  on  to  the  heap  of 
gulls,  seized  the  fish,  and  swallowed  it  at  once. 

"  The  shag  (cormorant)  ought  to  learn  to  swallow  under  water,  and 
the  gull  to  devour  its  prey  at  once  in  the  air.  The  skua  is  merely  a 
gull  which  has  developed  itself  by  fighting  for  morsels." 

On  the  Pacific  coast  are  two  well-marked  species 
of  cormorant,  known  respectively  as  the  "  Violet 
Green"  and  "  Brandt's." 

J.  K.  Townsend,  in  his  "  Narrative  of  a  Journey 
across  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Columbia  River" 
(1839),  says  °f  tne  "Violet  Green"  species, — 

"  This  most  splendid  of  all  the  species  of  cormorants  yet  discov- 
ered inhabit^  in  considerable  numbers  the  rocky  cape  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  Columbia  River,  upon  the  sides  of  which  it  often  rests, 
and  no  doubt  rears  its  young  within  the  natural  cavities  which  front 
the  tempestucus  ocean,  and  in  situations  wholly  inaccessible  to  man. 
Sometimes  many  weeks  elapse  in  which  not  a  single  cormorant  is 
seen,  when  suddenly  a  flock  of  fifty  or  sixty  is  observed  to  enter  the 
bay,  every  individual  of  which  immediately  commences  an  assiduous 
search  for  the  small  fish  and  mollusca  which  constitute  its  food.  It 
never  ascends  the  river,  but  keeping  almost  constantly  around  the 
cape,  under  shelter  of  the  enormous  breakers  which  are  incessantly 
dashing  against  it,  successfully  defies  all  attempts  to  shoot  it.  ... 

"  The  Indians  of  the  Northwest  coast  make  cloaks  of  the  skins  of 
this  bird,  sewed  together.  It  is  probably  even  more  numerous  to  the 
north  of  Cape  Disappointment,  and  must  necessarily  frequent  less 
inaccessible  places." 

Of  Brandt's  Cormorant  the  same  author  states, — 

"  This  species  inhabits  the  Columbia  River,  and  is  not  uncommon. 
It  is  seldom  seen  near  the  sea,  but  is  mostly  observed  high  up  upon 
the  river.  It  is,  like  most  species  of  its  genus,  partially  gregarious, 
and  is  fond  of  resting  in  company.  The  old  trees  which  are 
fastened  in  the  bottom  of  the  river,  and  protrude  above  the  surface, 
and  the  isolated  rocks  in  the  stream,  are  its  favorite  places  of  resort. 
Here  it  sits,  sometimes  for  hours  together,  indolently  gazing  into  the 
water,  and  only  leaving  its  perch  to  seize  an  unsuspecting  fish  which 


PELICANS,  CORMORANTS,  AND  PETRELS.       259 

may  happen  to  pass  near  it.     It  is  very  shy  and  cautious,  and  is  sel- 
dom killed  even  by  the  Indians,  who  are  fond  of  its  flesh." 

In  parts  of  Florida  there  is  (or  was?)  found  a 
curious  cormorant-like  bird,  known  locally  as  the 
"  Water-turkey"  and  "  Snake-bird."  Ridgway  gives 
its  range  as  "  the  whole  of  tropical  and  subtropical 
America,  north  to  South  Carolina,  Southern  Illinois, 
and  Western  Mexico." 

The  following  is  George  Ord's  account,  in  part,  as 
given  in  his  edition  of  Wilson's  "  Ornithology  :" 

"  It  generally  swims  with  its  body  immerged,  especially  when  ap- 
prehensive of  danger,  its  long  neck  extended  above  the  surface,  and 
vibrating  in  a  peculiar  manner.  The  first  individual  that  I  saw  in 
Florida  was  sneaking  away  to  avoid  me,  along  the  shore  of  a  reedy 
marsh,  which  was  lined  with  alligators,  and  the  first  impression  on 
my  mind  was  that  I  beheld  a  snake ;  but  the  recollection  of  the 
habits  of  the  bird  soon  undeceived  me.  On  approaching  it,  it  gradu- 
ally sank,  and  my  next  view  of  it  was  at  many  fathoms'  distance,  its 
head  merely  out  of  the  water.  To  pursue  these  birds  at  such  times 
is  useless,  as  they  cannot  be  induced  to  rise,  or  even  expose  their 
bodies. 

"  Wherever  the  limbs  of  a  tree  project  over,  and  dip  into,  the 
water,  there  the  Darters  are  sure  to  be  found,  these  situations  being 
convenient  resting-places  for  the  purpose  of  sunning  and  preening 
themselves ;  and,  probably,  giving  them  a  better  opportunity,  than 
when  swimming,  of  observing  their  finny  prey.  They  crawl  from 
the  water  upon  the  limbs,  and  fix  themselves  in  an  upright  position, 
which  they  maintain  in  the  utmost  silence.  If  there  be  foliage,  or 
the  long  moss,  they  secrete  themselves  in  it  in  such  a  manner  that 
they  cannot  be  perceived,  unless  one  be  close  to  them.  When  ap- 
proached, they  drop  into  the  water  with  such  surprising  skill,  that 
one  is  astonished  how  so  large  a  body  can  plunge  with  so  little  noise, 
the  agitation  of  the  water  being,  apparently,  not  greater  than  that 
occasioned  by  the  gliding  of  an  eel." 

To  this  account  Ord  added  as  follows,  contributed 
by  William  Bartram : 


260  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

"  Here  is  in  this  river,  and  in  the  waters  all  over  Florida,  a  very 
curious  and  handsome  bird,  the  people  call  them  Snake-birds;  I 
think  I  have  seen  paintings  of  them  on  the  Chinese  screens,  and 
other  Indian  pictures ;  they  seem  to  be  a  species  of  Colymbus,  but  far 
more  beautiful  and  delicately  formed  than  any  other  that  I  have  ever 
seen.  They  delight  to  sit  in  little  peaceable  communities,  on  the  dry 
limbs  of  trees,  hanging  over  the  still  waters,  with  their  wings  and  tails 
expanded,  I  suppose  to  cool  and  air  themselves,  when  at  the  same  time 
they  behold  their  images  in  the  watery  mirror.  At  such  times,  when 
we  approach  them,  they  drop  off  the  limbs  into  the  water  as  if  dead, 
and  for  a  minute  or  two  are  not  to  be  seen  ;  when  on  a  sudden,  at  a  great 
distance,  their  long  slender  head  and  neck  appear,  like  a  snake  rising 
erect  out  of  the  water ;  and  no  other  part  of  them  is  to  be  seen  when 
swimming,  except  sometimes  the  tip  end  of  their  tail.  In  the  heat 
of  the  day  they  are  seen  in  great  numbers,  sailing  very  high  in  the 
air,  over  lakes  and  rivers." 

Under  the  general  name  of  Petrel,  which  is  a 
familiar  one  to  all,  are  included  a  large  number  of 
birds,  of  which  about  twenty-five  are  found  on  the 
coasts  of  this  continent.  They  are  subdivided  by 
reason  of  certain  anatomical  features  into  Fulmars, 
Shearwaters,  and  Petrels. 

Of  the  Giant  Fulmar,  which  occasionally  reaches 
on  the  Pacific  coast  as  far  north  as  Oregon,  Moseley 
states,  based  on  observations  made  in  the  South  At- 
lantic,— 

"  Whilst  we  were  at  work  on  the  beach  crowds  of  birds  began  to 
assemble,  especially  the  Giant  Petrel,  or  '  Breakbones,'  the  '  Nelly,' 
or  « Stinker,'  of  sealers.  This  bird  in  its  habits  is  most  remarkably 
like  the  vulture. 

"  It  soars  all  day  along  the  coast  on  the  lookout  for  food.  No 
sooner  is  an  animal  killed  than  numbers  appear  as  if  by  magic,  and 
the  birds  are  evidently  well  acquainted  with  the  usual  proceedings 
of  sealers,  who  kill  the  sea-elephant,  take  off  the  skin  and  blubber, 
and  leave  the  carcass.  They  settled  down  here  all  round  in  groups, 


PELICANS,  CORMORANTS,  AND  PETRELS.       261 


at  a  short  distance,  a  dozen  or  so  together,  to  wait,  and  began  righting 
amongst  themselves,  as  if  to  settle  which  was  to  have  first  bite. 

"  The  birds  gorge  themselves  with  food  just  like  the  vultures,  and 
are  then  unable  to  fly." 

In  the  North  Atlantic  there  is  a  smaller  species 
of  these  fulmars,  known  as  the  Noddy.  It  is  a 
strictly  arctic  bird 
that  comes  southward 
as  far  as  New  Eng- 
land in  winter.  In  its 
general  habits  it  is 
said  to  be  much  the 
same  as  the  "  Break- 
bones"  of  the  tropic 
seas. 

The  Shearwaters, 
of  which  there  are 
several  species,  are 
strictly  marine  birds, 
their  occurrence  in- 
land being  so  very 
rare  that  it  has  no 
significance.  It  is 

well  known  that  a  very  strong  wind  and  general 
storm  brings  many  birds  not  usually  seen  even  near 
shore,  not  only  to  the  coast,  but  sometimes  carries 
them  inland  for  some  miles.  This,  however,  is  very 
different  from  voluntarily  leaving  the  open  sea  and 
following  the  course  of  some  (to  the  bird)  insignifi- 
cant river.  Nuttall  says  of  them, — 

"  Their  course  in  the  air  is  exceedingly  swift  and  powerful.     With 
their  long  wings  outstretched  and  almost  motionless,  they  sweep  over 


Gannet. 


262  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

the  wild  waves,  fearless  of  every  danger,  flying  out  in  vast  curves, 
watching  at  the  same  time  intently  for  their  finny  prey.  Like  the 
Petrels,  these  Shearwaters  are  often  seen  to  trip  upon  the  water  with 
extended  feet  and  open  wings ;  they  likewise  dive  for  small  fish,  and 
find  an  advantage  in  the  storm,  whose  pellucid  mountain  waves  bring 
to  view  the  shiny  prey  to  more  advantage ;  the  birds  are  therefore 
often  seen  most  active  at  such  times." 

In  a  little  island,  an  outlier  of  St.  Thomas,  Moseley 
found  a  species  of  this  genus  (Puffinus)  "  nesting  in 
holes  amongst  the  grass,  laying  a  single,  large  white 
egg.  The  birds  allowed  themselves  to  be  caught  in 
the  nest  with  the  hand." 

The  Petrels,  that  we  know  so  well,  also,  as  Mother 
Carey's  Chickens,  are  many  in  species,  but  do  not 
differ  materially  in  habits.  Of  such  as  come  within 
the  limits  of  North  American  waters,  Ridgway  men- 
tions about  a  dozen,  and  a  good  many  others,  some  of 
which  may  possibly  get  occasionally  out  of  bounds ; 
for  these  birds  have,  as  Dr.  Moseley  has  stated,  "  re- 
duced the  science  of  flight  to  the  condition  of  a  fine 
art."  Storms  occasionally  drive  them  inland,  but 
they  never  come  voluntarily  beyond  the  limits  of 
salt  water.  It  frequently  happens  that  a  single  petrel 
will  appear  close  astern  of  an  outward-bound  vessel 
and  remain  day  after  day  at  about  the  same  distance 
from  the  steamer,  and  when  the  boat  turns  into  port 
the  petrel  will  suddenly  disappear.  I  have  not  seen 
them  follow  the  vessel  far  beyond  the  breakwater 
when  it  turned  into  Delaware  Bay.  Their  flight- 
power  is  something  wonderful. 

Dr.  Moseley  says  of  the  petrels, — 

"  They  were  our  constant  companions  in  the  Southern  Ocean,  fol- 
lowing the  ship  day  after  day,  dropping  behind  at  night  to  roost  on 


PELICANS,  CORMORANTS,  AND  PETRELS.      263 

the  water,  and  tracing  the  ship  up  again  in  the  early  morning  by  the 
trail  of  the  dtbris  left  in  its  wake." 

Wilson,  writing  of  this  habit,  says, — 

"  It  is  indeed  an  interesting  sight  to  observe  these  little  birds  in  a 
gale,  coursing  over  the  waves,  down  the  declivities,  up  the  ascents 
of  the  foaming  surf  that  threatens  to  burst  over  their  heads ;  sweep- 
ing along  the  hollow  troughs  of  the  sea,  as  in  a  sheltered  valley,  and 
again  mounting  with  the  rising  billow,  and,  just  above  its  surface, 
occasionally  dropping  their  feet,  which,  striking  the  water,  throw 
them  up  again  with  additional  force ;  sometimes  leaping,  with  both 
legs  parallel,  on  the  surface  of  the  roughest  wave  for  several  yards 
at  a  time.  Meanwhile  they  continue  coursing  from  side  to  side  of 
the  ship's  wake,  making  excursions  far  and  wide,  to  the  right  and  to 
the  left,  now  a  great  way  ahead,  and  now  shooting  astern  for  several 
hundred  yards,  returning  again  to  the  ship  as  if  she  were  all  the 
while  stationary,  though  perhaps  running  at  the  rate  of  ten  knots  an 
hour !  But  the  most  singular  peculiarity  of  this  bird  is  its  faculty  of 
standing,  and  even  running,  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  which  it 
performs  with  apparent  facility.  When  any  greasy  matter  is  thrown 
overboard,  these  birds  instantly  collect  around  it,  and  facing  to  wind- 
ward, with  their  long  wings  expanded  and  their  webbed  feet  patting 
the  water ;  the  lightness  of  their  bodies  and  the  action  of  the  wind 
on  their  wings  enable  them  to  do  this  with  ease.  In  calm  weather 
they  perform  the  same  manreuvre,  by  keeping  their  wings  just  so 
much  in  action  as  to  prevent  their  feet  from  sinking  below  the  sur- 
face." 

On  the  Atlantic  coast,  the  Wandering  Albatross  is 
said  occasionally  to  reach  northward  as  far  as  Florida; 
but  there  are  other  species  that  on  the  Pacific  coast 
are  quite  common,  as  the  "  Black-footed"  and  "  Short- 
tailed"  species.  The  bird,  however,  is  familiar  by 
name  to  every  one,  and  the  reader  of  the  "  Ancient 
Mariner"  has  doubtless  fancied,  more  or  less  cor- 
rectly, what  this  strange  bird  is  like. 

Nuttall  says  of  it,— 


264  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

"  Like  the  Fulmar,  the  constant  attendant  upon  the  whale,  the 
Albatross,  no  less  adventurous  and  wandering,  pursues  the  tracks  of 
his  finny  prey  from  one  hemisphere  into  another." 

Dr.  Moseley,  already  frequently  quoted,  found 
these  birds  nesting  on  Marion  Island  (South  Pacific). 
The  nests  were  on  the  ground,  made  of  grass,  moss, 
and  earth,  well  compacted.  The  birds  while  sitting 
are  extremely  tame.  They  remained  in  this  case 
when  approached,  and  needed  some  stirring  up  with 
a  stick  to  induce  them  to  move. 

Much  has  been  written  concerning  the  flight  of 
the  Albatross,  and,  indeed,  this  feature  of  its  habits 
is  much  the  most  attractive,  judging  from  what  has 
been  observed  of  the  birds  when  not  on  the  wing. 
Collingwood,  in  his  "  Rambles  in  the  China  Seas," 
says  of  the  yellow-billed  albatross,  that  they 


Albatross. 

"are  singularly  graceful  in  their  flight.  They  swim  well  and 
rapidly,  and  when  leaving  the  water  assist  themselves  to  rise  by  their 
feet,  running  quickly  for  some  distance  along  the  surface  until  they 
are  fairly  above  the  water.  How  they  propel  themselves  in  the  air 


PELICANS,  CORMORANTS,  AND  PETRELS.      265 

is  difficult  to  understand,  for  they  scarcely  ever  flap  their  wings,  but 
sail  gracefully  along,  swaying  from  side  to  side,  sometimes  skimming 
the  water  so  closely  that  the  point  of  one  wing  dips  into  it,  then 
rising  up  like  a  boomerang  into  the  air,  then  descending  again,  and 
flying  with  the  wind  or  against  it,  apparently  with  equal  facility. 
Now  and  then,  but  seldom,  they  give  two  rapid  flaps  with  their 
wings,  but  to  see  this  they  must  be  watched." 

Dr.  Moseley  says,  in  regard  to  their  flight, — 

"  I  believe  that  Albatrosses  move  their  wings  much  oftener  than  is 
suspected.  They  often  have  the  appearance  of  soaring  for  long 
periods  after  a  ship  without  flapping  their  wings  at  all,  but  if  they  be 
very  closely  watched,  very  short  but  extremely  quick  motions  of  the 
wings  may  be  detected.  The  appearance  is  rather  as  if  the  body  of 
the  bird  dropped  a  very  short  distance  and  rose  again.  The  move- 
ments cannot  be  seen  at  all  unless  the  bird  is  exactly  on  a  level  with 
the  eye.  A  very  quick  stroke,  carried  even  through  a  very  short  arc, 
can  of  course  supply  a  large  store  of  fresh  momentum.  In  perfectly 
calm  weather  Albatrosses  flap  heavily." 


266  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

GULLS   AND   TERNS. 

IT  is  safe  to  say  that  whoever  has  seen  a  sea-coast 
has  seen  a  sea-gull ;  and  many  a  person  who  has 
spent  all  his  days  in  an  inland  town  may  be  likewise 
familiar  with  these  birds,  for  they  wander  at  times 
very  far  from  the  ocean,  and  are  a  feature  of  many  a 
river  valley  almost  as  much  as  of  the  borders  of  the 
restless  ocean.  And  whoever  has  seen  has  also 
heard  the  sea-gull,  and  will  never  forget  the  doleful 
creaking  sound,  so  like  that  made  by  a  rusty-hinged 
sign-board  on  a  windy  day.  They  are,  whether  sea- 
ward or  inland,  restless  as  swallows,  but  more  de- 
liberate in  their  flight  and  far  less  dainty  in  their 
habits.  The  floating  carcass  is  as  valued  a  morsel  as 
the  liveliest  fish  that  swims. 

The  term  "  Gull"  as  commonly  used  includes  a 
large  number  of  birds,  which  the  ornithologist  tells 
us  are  not  true  gulls,  but  Skuas,  Jaegers,  and  Kitti- 
wakes.  These  differ  anatomically,  of  course,  from  each 
other  and  the  gulls  proper,  though  in  a  general  way, 
both  in  appearances  and  habits,  they  are  essentially 
one ;  but  the  birds  mentioned  as  not  true  gulls  do 
not  come  inland  to  the  same  extent.  We  see  a  hun- 
dred gulls  probably  to  one  of  the  skuas  or  jaegers. 
These  birds  get  the  latter  name,  which  means 
"  hunter,"  from  the  fact  that  they  are  in  a  certain 


GULLS  AND  TERNS.  267 

sense  birds  of  prey.  They  attack  other  sea-birds 
and  rob  them  of  the  food  they  have  secured  by 
honorable  effort.  This,  of  course,  makes  them  over- 
bearing, fierce,  and  like,  in  their  ignoble  features,  our 
inland  preying  birds.  These  birds  are  in  the  northern 
hemisphere,  largely  confined  to  the  arctic  regions, 
coming  southward  in  winter. 

Moseley,  writing  of  these  birds  as  seen  by  him  in 
the  South  Atlantic,  says,  "  The  skua  is  a  gull  which 
has  acquired  a  sharp  curved  beak  and  sharp  claws 
at  the  tips  of  its  webbed  toes.  The  birds  are  thor- 
oughly predaceous  in  their  habits,  quartering  their 
ground  on  the  lookout  for  carrion,  and  assembling 
in  numbers  where  there  is  anything  killed  in  the 
same  curious  way  as  vultures."  They  not  only  rob 
the  gulls,  but  one  species  eats  birds,  which  they  drag 
from  their  nests  in  the  ground. 

Of  true  gulls  and  their  dainty  cousins,  the  terns, 
there  are  nearly  twoscore  species.  They  are  much 
alike  in  habits,  yet  vary  exceedingly  in  size.  In 
plumage,  too,  there  is  great  variation ;  but  notwith- 
standing this,  there  is  a  family  likeness  that  is  un- 
mistakable. A  tern  is  a  small  gull,  and  a  gull  an 
overgrown  tern.  The  differences  between  Larus  and 
Sterna  are  plain  enough  to  the  specialist,  but  do  not 
stand  out  so  prominently  as  to  catch  the  eye  of  the 
casual  observer.  George  Ord,  in  his  edition  of  Wil- 
son, referring  to  the  advantages  of  seeing  rather  than 
reading  of  or  hearing  about  birds,  says  of  sea-gulls, — 

"  The  zealous  inquirer  would  find  himself  amply  compensated  for 
all  his  toil  by  observing  these  neat  and  clean  birds  coursing  along 
the  rivers  and  coast,  enlivening  the  prospect  by  their  airy  movements : 


268  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

now  skimming  closely  over  the  watery  element,  watching  trie  motions 
of  the  surges,  and  now  rising  into  the  higher  regions,  sporting  with 
the  winds,  while  he  inhaled  the  invigorating  breezes  of  the  ocean 
and  listened  to  the  soothing  murmurs  of  its  billows." 

And  of  a  well-known  species,  common  to  the  Atlan- 
tic seaboard  and  our  Eastern  river  valleys,  he  says, — 

"  The  Laughing  Gull,  known  in  America  by  the  name  of  the 
Black-headed  Gull,  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  most  sociable 
of  its  genus.  They  make  their  appearance  on  the  coast  of  New 
Jersey  in  the  latter  part  of  April,  and  do  not  fail  to  give  notice  of 
their  arrival  by  their  familiarity  and  loquacity.  The  inhabitants  treat 
them  with  the  same  indifference  that  they  manifest  towards  all  those 
harmless  birds  which  do  not  minister  either  to  their  appetite  or  their 
avarice,  and  hence  the  Black-heads  may  be  seen  in  companies  around 
the  farm-house,  coursing  along  the  river-shores,  gleaning  up  the 
refuse  of  the  fishermen  and  the  animal  substances  left  by  the  tide ;  or 
scattered  over  the  marshes  and  newly-ploughed  fields,  regaling  on 
the  worms,  insects,  and  their  larvae,  which,  in  the  vernal  season,  the 
bounty  of  Nature  provides  for  the  sustenance  of  myriads  of  the 
feathered  race. 

"  On  the  Jersey  side  of  the  Delaware  Bay,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Fishing  Creek,  about  the  middle  of  May,  the  Black-headed  Gulls 
assemble  in  great  multitudes,  to  feed  upon  the  remains  of  the  King- 
crabs  which  the  hogs  have  left,  or  upon  the  spawn  which  those 
curious  animals  deposit  in  the  sand,  and  which  is  scattered  along  the 
shore  by  the  waves.  At  such  times,  if  any  one  approach  to  disturb 
them,  the  Gulls  will  rise  up  in  clouds,  every  individual  squalling  so 
loud  that  the  roar  may  be  heard  at  the  distance  of  two  or  three 
miles. 

"  It  is  an  interesting  spectacle  to  behold  this  species  when  about 
recommencing  their  migrations.  If  the -weather  be  calm,  they  will 
rise  up  in  the  air,  spirally,  chattering  all  the  while  to  each  other  in 
the  most  sprightly  manner,  their  notes  at  such  times  resembling  the 
singing  of  a  hen,  but  far  louder,  changing  often  into  a  haw,  ha  ha 
ha  haw  !  the  last  syllable  lengthened  out  like  the  excessive  laugh  of 
a  negro.  When  mounting  and  mingling  together,  like  motes  in  the 
sunbeams,  their  black  heads  and  wing-tips,  and  snow-white  plumage, 
give  them  a  very  beautiful  appearance.  After  gaining  an  immense 


GULLS  AND  TERNS.  269 

height,  they  all  move  off,  with  one  consent,  in  a  direct  line  towards 
the  point  of  their  destination. 

"  This  bird  breeds  in  the  marshes." 

As  in  so  many  other  instances,  these  birds  are  by 
no  means  as  numerous  now  as  when  Ord  wrote,  more 
than  sixty  years  ago,  yet  the  bird  is  still  here,  but 
probably  has  altogether  abandoned  the  great  majority 
of  its  breeding-grounds  in  New  Jersey  and  north- 
ward. Chamberlain  says  it  has  been  driven  away 
from  Nantucket. 

The  Herring  Gull  of  our  coast — the  Middle  States 
— and  of  our  harbors  and  rivers  is  well  known  to  all. 
It  follows  up  the  Delaware  to  above  Trenton,  New 
Jersey,  and  Dr.  Warren  reports  it  on  the  Susque- 
hanna,  below  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  and  "is  a  rather 
common  spring  and  fall  migrant  on  Lake  Erie." 

Where,  as  along  the  sea-shore,  there  is  ever  so 
much  to  see,  a  single  gull  or  even  a  flock  of  many 
birds  attracts  little  attention.  They  pass  up  and  down 
the  coast,  following  the  schools  of  fish  or  watching 
for  such  flotage  as  comes  within  their  extended  bill 
of  fare.  We  glance  at  their  glistening  plumage,  ad- 
mire their  graceful  flight,  and  when  they  are  out  of 
sight  they  are  straightway  forgotten.  But  it  is  not 
so  with  the  single  gulls  upon  the  river:  they  are 
too  prominent  here  to  be  passed  by  unheeded.  It 
occasionally  happens  that  we  have  a  storm  that 
drives  the  gulls  inland  (and  such  storms  drive  people 
in-doors  too  much),  and  the  river  that  was  monot- 
onous yesterday  is  almost  tumultuous  to-day.  The 
wind-tossed  waves,  the  cloud-flecked  sky,  the  roar  of 
gusty  blasts  in  the  leafless  trees,  the  wild  clamor  of 
23* 


270 


THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 


excited  crows,  the  screaming  of  the  gulls, — these  make 
a  morning  worth  seeing ;  it  is  a  day  that  thrills,  and 
we  go  back,  as  it  were,  to  a  time  when  the  river  and 
the  valley  were  fresh  and  new.  These  are  the  sights 
and  sounds  that  we  are  occasionally  treated  to  now ; 
but  now  they  are  the  exception,  the  time  was  when  they 
were  the  rule.  We  are  reduced  now  to  two  species 
of  gulls  and  not  many  of  them ;  but  when  the  old 
travellers  of  two  centuries  ago  were  exploring  this 
river  (how  strangely  that  sounds  to  us !)  they  saw 
sights  that  have  now  forever  passed  away.  When 
Bankers  and  Sluyter  went  from  Trenton  (Falls  of 
Delaware)  to  Chester,  Pennsylvania,  and  had  to  row 
their  boat  sometimes  against  tide,  the  gulls  followed 
them,  I  think,  as  they  will  now  keep  astern  of  a  tug- 
boat, watching  for  scraps. 
Perhaps  they  saw  a  peli- 
can oh  the  shore,  or  a  crane ; 
they  did  not  fail  to  start 
from  their  fishing-grounds 
whole  troops  of  herons,  blue 
and  white,  large  and  small, 
and  all  noisy  as  a  modern 
convention. 

It  is  seldom  that  the  up- 
river  gulls  ever  go  far  in- 
land, and  when  they  do,  it 
is  only  to  sail  high  up  in 
the  air,  and  so  within  sight 
of  the  open  water.  I  refer 

now  to  the  Herring  Gull.     Occasionally  the  Black- 
headed  Gull  will  throng   the  flood-meadows  when 


Gull. 


GULLS  AND  TERNS.  271 

there  is  a  spring  freshet,  and  these  not  only  fly  low, 
but  walk  about  the  grassy  meadows  that  are  out  of 
water  as  if  they  were  within  hearing  of  old  ocean 
and  feeding  in  the  salt  marsh. 

"  Gulls  are  shy  birds,  and  are  caught  with  difficulty.  They  fly  in 
flocks,  and  carry  on  their  fishing  avocations  in  the  sea  near  the  shore. 
Sometimes  they  cover  the  rocks,  and  when  disturbed  they  rise  with 
frightened  screams.  Occasionally,  they  may  be  observed  on  the 
shore,  crouched  with  wings  half  extended,  and  apparently  enjoying 
the  warmth  of  the  sand.  They  walk  with  a  most  dignified  carriage. 
On  water  they  swim  with  ease,  but  seldom  dive,  preferring  to  take 
their  prey  as  it  appears  at  the  surface.  In  the  air  they  fly  slowly  yet 
gracefully,  and  often  sweep  in  circles,  as  if  displaying  their  agility. 
The  web-footed  birds  glory  in  the  agitations  of  the  sea;  nothing 
gives  them  so  much  delight  as  a  violent  storm,  for  instinct  or  experi- 
ence has  taught  them  that  a  storm  casts  up  the  mollusks  and  other 
of  the  sea  inhabitants  which  are  usually  beyond  their  reach,  and 
brings  them  to  the  surface  or  leaves  them  on  the  beach. 

"  How  often,  as  we  have  watched  the  horizon  darken  and  the 
storm-clouds  gather,  have  we  marked  the  striking  contrast  as  the 
white  gulls  and  sea-swallows  now  rose  and  now  fell  above  the  waves, 
waiting  in  eager  expectation  for  their  coming  feast!" — MOQUIN- 
TANDON. 

The  Sea-swallows,  or  Terns,  are  seemingly  all  that 
a  bird  should  be :  beautiful  in  plumage,  graceful  in 
movement,  gentle,  and  absolutely  incapable  of  doing 
any  harm ;  yet  we  read  of  their  practical  extermina- 
tion in  some  localities  because  of  a  demand  for  their 
wings  to  trim  hats.  The  people  that  are  guilty  of 
such  monstrous  cruelty  are  fiends,  whether  the  men 
who  shoot,  the  men  who  buy,  or  the  women  that 
wear  these  beautiful  birds. 

Terns  are  somewhat  more  marine  in  their  habits 
than  the  gulls.  They  less  seldom,  I  think,  come  in- 
land and  do  not  remain  day  after  day,  when  chance 


272  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

brings  them  from  the  sea-coast  to  the  river.  In 
migratorial  movements  they  are  found  inland  occa- 
sionally, and  two  species  are  known  to  our  larger 
watercourses  and  the  lakes.  The  name  sea-swallow 
is  peculiarly  fitting  to  these  birds,  as  they  are  forever 
in  the  air.  They  do  not  dip  down  and  swim  for  a 
while,  but  keep  watch  from  above  and  plunge  down, 
straight  as  an  arrow,  into  the  water.  Terns,  because 
they  fly  with  their  beaks  pointed  straight  down,  have 
been  likened  to  huge  mosquitoes,  which  is  hardly  fair 
to  the  birds,  for  they  do  not  play  any  of  the  mean  parts 
that  go  to  make  up  the  insect's  despicable  existence. 

There  are  some  fourteen  or  more  terns  found  on 
the  sea-coast  of  North  America,  and  they  are  pretty 
well  distributed,  no  one  locality  having  more  than  a 
fair  share.  They  mostly  feed  on  fish,  are  gregarious, 
and  when  nesting  prefer  to  do  so  in  company  with 
others  of  their  own  kind,  or  with  other  and  larger 
birds.  They  utter  sharp,  shrill  cries,  and  accompany 
these  with  a  threatening  click  of  the  bill  when  you 
approach  too  near  their  nests,  which,  on  the  Jersey 
coast,  are  on  the  ground,  sometimes  with  a  bit  of 
dead  grass  or  sea- weed,  but  as  often  a  mere  bare 
depression  in  the  sand.  I  have  sometimes  wondered 
how  it  was  that  the  nests  were  not  destroyed  by 
the  winds,  as  I  have  found  many  on  sandy  beaches 
where  the  sands  were  forever  shifting,  and  seemed 
to  threaten  the  burial  of  both  birds  and  eggs. 

The  Common  Tern,  which  is  known  by  a  long 
series  of  names,  as  "  Wilson's  Tern,"  "  Summer  Gull," 
and  "  Mackerel  Gull,"  is  found  in  Europe  as  well  as 
in  this  country,  and  wanders  into  the  forbidding 


GULLS  AND  TERNS.  273 

regions  of  the  far  north.     It  has  no  fancy,  however, 
for  extremely  cold  weather,  and  winters  in  a  mild 
climate.     We  see  them  first  in  mid-spring,  and  they 
nest  along  our  Atlantic  seaboard. 
Wilson's  account  is  as  follows : 

"  About  the  middle  or  twentieth  of  May  this  bird  commences  lay- 
ing. The  preparation  of  a  nest,  which  costs  most  other  birds  so 
much  time  and  ingenuity,  is  here  altogether  dispensed  with.  The 
eggs,  generally  three  in  number,  are  placed  on  the  surface  of  the  dry 
drift  grass,  on  the  beach  or  salt  marsh,  and  covered  by  the  female 
only  during  the  night,  or  in  wet,  raw,  or  stormy  weather.  At  all 
other  times  the  hatching  of  them  is  left  to  the  heat  of  the  sun. 
These  eggs  measure  an  inch  and  three-quarters  in  length  by  about 
an  inch  and  two-tenths  in  width,  and  are  of  a  yellowish  dun  color, 
sprinkled  with  dark  brown  and  pale  Indian  ink.  Notwithstanding 
they  seem  thus  negligently  abandoned  during  the  day,  it  is  very 
different  in  reality.  One  or  both  of  the  parents  are  generally 
fishing  within  view  of  the  place,  and  on  the  near  approach  of  any 
person,  instantly  make  their  appearance  overhead,  uttering  a  hoarse 
jarring  kind  of  cry,  and  flying  about  with  evident  symptoms  of  great 
anxiety  and  consternation.  The  young  are  generally  produced  at 
intervals  of  a  day  or  so  from  each  other,  and  are  regularly  and 
abundantly  fed  for  several  weeks,  before  their  wings  are  sufficiently 
grown  to  enable  them  to  fly.  At  first  the  parents  alight  with  the  fish, 
which  they  have  brought  in  their  mouth,  or  in  their  bill,  and  tearing 
it  in  pieces,  distribute  it  in  such  portions  as  their  young  are  able  to 
swallow.  Afterwards  they  frequently  feed  them  without  alighting, 
as  they  skim  over  the  spot ;  and  as  the  young  become  nearly  ready  to 
fly,  they  drop  the  fish  among  them,  where  the  strongest  and  most 
active  has  the  best  chance  to  gobble  it  up.  In  the  mean  time,  the 
young  themselves  frequently  search  about  the  marshes,  generally  not 
far  apart,  for  insects  of  various  kinds ;  but  so  well  acquainted  are 
they  with  the  peculiar  language  of  their  parents,  that  warn  them  of 
the  approach  of  an  enemy,  that  on  hearing  their  cries  they  instantly 
squat,  and  remain  motionless  until  the  danger  be  over." 

Of  the  other   terns   little   need   be   said.     Their 
habits  do  not  vary  sufficiently  from  what  has  already 


274  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

been  said  of  the  species  that  is  so  well  known  to 
those  who,  during  summer,  tarry  at  the  sea-shore. 
But  a  word  concerning  the 
Least  Tern,  and  this,  too, 
from  Wilson: 

"  This  beautiful  little  species  looks 
like  the  preceding  in  miniature,  but 
surpasses  it  far  in  the  rich,  glossy, 
satin-like  white  plumage  with  which 
its  throat,  breast,  and  whole  lower 
parts  are  covered.  Like  the  former, 
it  is  also  a  bird  of  passage,  but  is 
said  not  to  extend  its  migrations  to 
so  high  a  northern  latitude,  being 
more  delicate  and  susceptible  of 

Least  Tern.  cold.     It  arrives  on  the  coast  some- 

what later  than   the  other,  but  in 

equal  and  perhaps  greater  numbers ;  coasts  along  the  shores  and  also 
over  the  pools  in  the  salt  marshes  in  search  of  prawns,  of  which 
it  is  particularly  fond ;  hovers,  suspended  in  the  air,  for  a  few  mo- 
ments above  its  prey  exactly  in  the  manner  of  some  of  our  small 
Hawks,  and  dashes  headlong  down  into  the  water  after  it,  gener- 
ally seizing  it  with  its  bill;  mounts  instantly  again  to  the  same 
height,  and  moves  slowly  along  as  before,  eagerly  examining  the 
surface  below." 

Wilson  visited,  in  Cape  May  County,  New  Jersey, 
a  spot  where  these  birds  were  nesting,  and  describes 
his  experiences  as  follows  : 

"  During  my  whole  stay  these  birds  flew  in  crowds  around  me, 
and  often  within  a  few  yards  of  my  head,  squeaking  like  so  .many 
young  pigs,  which  their  voice  strikingly  resembles.  A  Humming- 
bird, that  had  accidentally  strayed  to  the  place,  appeared  suddenly 
among  this  outrageous  group,  several  of  whom  darted  angrily  at  him ; 
but  he  shot  like  an  arrow  from  them,  directing  his  flight  straight  to- 
wards the  ocean.  I  have  no  doubt  but  the  distressing  cries  of  the 


GULLS  AND  TERNS.  275 

Terns  had  drawn  this  little  creature  to  the  scene,  having  frequently 
witnessed  his  anxious  curiosity  on  similar  occasions  in  the  woods. 

"  The  Lesser  Tern  feeds  on  beetles,  crickets,  spiders,  and  other  in- 
sects, which  it  picks  up  from  the  marshes,  as  well  as  on  small  fish." 

The  Skimmer,  Razor-bill  or  Cut-water,  is  a  most 
curious  bird  that  comes  from  southern  waters  late  in 
spring  as  far  north  as  New  Jersey,  but  seldom  con- 
tinues beyond  Sandy  Hook.  Of  course,  southward, 
it  is  seen  earlier.  As  in  the  case  of  probably  every 
species  of  sea-bird  nesting  on  the  ground,  these 
skimmers  are  now  far  less  numerous  than  when  Wil- 
son studied  them  in  the  marshes  of  Cape  May. 
During  a  long  stay  in  that  neighborhood,  with  excel- 
lent opportunities  to  see  what  birds  were  then  about, 
in  1892,  I  saw  but  one  specimen,  and  that  my  guide 
could  give  me  no  name  for  or  information  about. 
He  had  seldom  seen  them.  Wilson  tells  us  that 
this  bird 

"is  most  frequently  seen  skimming  close  along  shore,  about  the 
first  of  the  flood,  at  which  time  the  young  fry,  shrimp,  etc.,  are  most 
abundant  in  such  places.  There  are  also  numerous  inlets  among  the 
low  islands  between  the  sea-beach  and  main  land  of  Cape  May  where 
I  have  observed  the  Shearwaters,  eight  or  ten  in  company,  passing 
and  repassing  at  high  water  particular  estuaries  of  those  creeks  that 
run  up  into  the  salt  marshes,  dipping,  with  extended  neck,  their  open 
bills  into  the  water,  with  as  much  apparent  ease  as  Swallows  glean 
up  flies  from  the  surface.  On  examining  the  stomachs  of  several  ot 
these,  shot  at  the  time,  they  contained  numbers  of  a  small  fish.  .  .  . 

"  The  voice  is  harsh  and  screaming,  resembling  that  of  the  Tern,  but 
stronger.  It  flies  with  a  slowly  flapping  flight,  dipping  occasionally, 
with  steady  expanded  wings  and  bended  neck,  its  lower  mandible 
into  the  sea,  and  with  open  mouth  receiving  its  food  as  it  ploughs  along 
the  surface.  It  is  rarely  seen  swimming  on  the  water,  but  frequently 
rests  in  large  parties  on  the  sand-bars  at  low  water.  One  of  these 
birds  which  I  wounded  in  the  wing,  and  kept  in  a  room  beside  me  for 


276  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

several  days,  soon  became  tame  and  even  familiar.  It  generally 
stood  with  its  legs  erect,  its  body  horizontal,  and  its  neck  rather  ex- 
tended. It  frequently  reposed  on  its  belly,  and  stretching  its  neck, 
rested  its  long  bill  on  the  floor.  It  spent  most  of  its  time  in  this  way, 
or  in  dressing  and  arranging  its  plumage  with  its  long  scissors-like  bill, 
which  it  seemed  to  perform  with  great  ease  and  dexterity.  It  re- 
fused every  kind  of  food  offered  it,  and  I  am  persuaded  never  feeds 
but  when  on  the  wing." 

Dr.  Coues  says  that  these  birds  go  in  true  flocks, 
and  not  mere  loose  assemblages  like  terns,  and  that 
they  are  largely  nocturnal  or  crepuscular.  "  Their 
mode  of  feeding  is  not  exactly  made  out,  but  it  is 
believed  they  skim  over  the  surface  with  the  body 
inclined  downward,  the  bill  open,  and  the  under 
mandible  in  the  water,  so  they  really  take  their  prey 
in  a  manner  analogous  to  the  feeding  of  whales." 


THE  DIVING  BIRDS.  277 


CHAPTER    XV. 

THE   DIVING   BIRDS. 

THIS  group  consists  of  the  Auks,  Murres,  Guil- 
lemots, Auklets,  Puffins,  Loons,  and  Grebes. 
Of  the  five  subgroups  mentioned  in  order,  none  be- 
long inland,  but  of  course  "  stragglers"  of  some  of 
them  have  been  carried  inland,  and  so  swell  the  lists 
of  birds  found  in  such  and  such  a  locality.  The 
loons  and  grebes,  on  the  other  hand,  are  quite  at 
home  in  fresh  water,  and  add  no  little  to  the  charm 
of  many  a  watery  waste  that  is  now  pretty  closely 
shorn  of  the  features  designed  for  it  by  Nature. 

The  Great  Auk  is  extinct.  Nature  had  nothing  to 
do  with  its  destruction.  Comment  is  unnecessary. 
The  Little  Auk  survives  and  seems  equal  to  holding 
its  own,  the  odds  not  being  so  decidedly  against  it. 
In  winter  they  come  as  far  south  as  the  New  Jersey 
coast.  The  late  Dr.  Lockwood  has  given  an  amusing 
account  of  one  of  these  birds  that  was  kept  for  some 
time  in  confinement.  It  was  one  of  many  that  in  the 
winter  of  1877  not  only  appeared  upon  the  coast,  but 
came  inland.  "  They  were  so  gentle  and  unsuspi- 
cious, and  so  comical,  for  on  the  land  their  gait  was 
a  tipsy  waddle."  One  was  picked  up  six  miles  from 
sea,  and  entirely  beyond  tidal  reach.  It  was  ill  at 
ease  in  the  air  of  a  close  room,  standing  upright  on 
24 


278  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

the  floor,  but  when  offered  a  tub  of  water,  "  seemed 
crazed  with  delight.  It  dived  and  splashed,  but  was 
puzzled  by  its  close  quarters,  and  could  not  realize 
that  the  tub's  sides  were  so  inconveniently  near." 

"  There  is  much,"  says  Dr.  Lockwood,  "  to  wonder 
at  and  to  admire  in  the  sea-dove's  ways  when  in  her 
own  element.  .  .  .  When  it  suits  they  can  ride  the 
crest  like  the  stormy  petrel.  But  see !  that  gorgeous 
wave  approaching,  and  that  Dovekie  goes  right 
through  it  as  an  arrow  through  a  cloud  of  smoke. 
...  It  can  float  like  a  bubble  and  progress  like  a 
shot." 

The  Guillemots  are  entirely  marine,  according  to 
Nuttall,  but  the  inevitable  river  stragglers  have  occa- 
sionally turned  up.  They  are  arctic  birds  that  wan- 
der southward  in  winter  and  are  not  abundant  at  any 
time,  even  off  the  coast.  They  are  strong  flyers, 
moving  rapidly  in  direct  lines,  and  at  but  a  slight 
distance  above  the  water.  They  are  expert  divers, 
and  move  under  the  water  with  much  rapidity.  They 
feed  on  crustaceans,  fish,  and  such  animal  food  as 
comes  in  their  way.  They  are  commonly  known  as 
Sea-pigeons. 

The  Puffin,  which  is  at  once  recognized  by  its 
enormous  box-like  beak,  is  another  of  the  arctic 
birds,  or  semi-arctic,  that  wanders  down  the  Atlantic 
coast  in  winter  as  far  south  as  New  Jersey.  One  is 
said  to  have  been  killed  on  the  Delaware  River  near 
Philadelphia  in  1876.  Occasionally  they  have  been 
found  a  few  miles  inland  in  New  Jersey  after  an  un- 
usually violent  storm. 

Of  the  Divers,  or   Loons,  and   Grebes  we  have 


THE  DIVING  BIRDS.  279 

eleven  species.  Of  these,  the  Red-throated  Loon  is 
not  common  in  the  Middle  States,  but  is  found  along 
the  coast.  It  breeds  in  the  far  north.  It  has  been 
found  on  the  Delaware  in  midwinter  (young  birds), 
and  probably  was  carried  by  strong  winds  across  the 
State,  rather  than  followed  up  the  course  of  the  river 
from  its  mouth. 

The  Loon,  or  "  Great  Northern  Diver,"  by  which 
name  it  appears  to  be  known  only  in  the  books,  is 
black  and  white  and  as  big  as  a  goose.  Once  seen, 
therefore,  it  cannot  be  mistaken.  It  is  a  migratory 
bird  principally,  but  breeds  in  the  United  States, 
along  the  northern  tier  of  States.  But  its  migratory 
movements  are  not  very  regular, — that  is,  the  lines  of 
its  travel  may  vary  a  little ;  and  of  one  matter  con- 
cerning them  there  can  be  no  doubt :  they  do  not 
all  go  northward  to  spend  the  summer.  The  loon  is 
seen  on  the  upper  Delaware  River,  sparingly,  every 
summer.  In  1893  I  saw  them  in  tide-water  as  late 
as  June  (first  week),  and  again  in  the  first  week  of 
September. 

George  Ord  says, — 

"  The  Loon  is  restless  before  a  storm ;  and  an  experienced  master 
of  a  coasting  vessel  informed  me  that  he  always  knew  when  a  tempest 
was  approaching  by  the  cry  of  this  bird,  which  is  very  shrill,  and 
may  be  heard  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  or  more.  The  correctness 
of  this  observation  I  have  myself  since  experienced  in  a  winter 
voyage  on  the  southern  coasts  of  the  United  States." 

Occasionally  the  loons  will  leave  the  rivers  and  take 
up  their  quarters  in  some  retired  mill-pond.  Of 
course  they  are  soon  discovered  and  shot  at  until 
killed  or  worried  to  death.  Such  loons  have  their 


280  THE  BIRDS  ABOUT  Us. 

revenge  at  times.  A  miller  told  me  of  a  "  speckled 
goose"  he  had  shot,  and  invited  some  friends  to  share 
the  subsequent  feast  with  him.  "  It  was  the  meanest 
goose  I  ever  tackled,"  was  his  concluding  remark. 

In  autumn,  sometimes  during  the  winter,  and  again 
in  early  spring,  there  are  seen  upon  our  rivers  and 
larger  ponds  active  duck-like  birds,  that  swim  away 
from  you  rapidly  if  they  think  they  are  being  watched, 
and  dive  with  startling  suddenness  if  you  attempt  to 
chase  them.  They  are  literally  quick  as  a  flash,  and 
dodge  the  coming  charge  of  shot  unless  it  happens 
that  your  aim  was  not  good,  which  is  very  probable. 
These  birds  are  pretty,  and  occasionally  when  they 
rise  up  from  the  water  and  flap  their  wings  they  show 
a  silvery  glistening  breast  that  is  very  beautiful. 
These  birds  are  migrants  and  seek  the  far  north  to 
breed,  but  are  found  with  us  off  and  on  for  nearly 
nine  months  of  each  year.  They  are  typical  divers. 
One  of  them — Holboell's  Grebe — is  rare  in  the  Middle 
States,  but  by  no  means  unknown  to  the  Delaware 
Valley ;  the  other  is  the  Horned  Grebe,  and  is  more 
frequently  seen.  Dr.  Coues  "  found  it  breeding  at 
various  points  in  Northern  Dakota,  as  along  the  Red 
River,  in  the  prairie  sloughs,  with  Coots,  Phalaropes, 
and  various  Ducks,  and  in  pools  about  the  base  of 
Turtle  Mountain  in  company  with  P,  calif ornicus  and 
the  Dabchick." 

This  Dabchick,  or  Devil-diver,  is  so  plain  a  bird 
and  so  generally  insignificant  that  it  comes  and  goes 
without  causing  the  slightest  ripple  either  on  the 
water  or  in  our  minds ;  yet  the  little  fellow  is  cun- 
ning and  a  real  attraction  to  our  mill-ponds,  where  it 


THE  DIVING  BIRDS.  281 

seems  more  at  home  than  on  the  river.  This  diver, 
or  grebe,  is  a  strictly  American  species,  but  no  one 
of  our  writers  appears  to  have  grown  enthusiastic 
over  it.  It  is  one  of  my  favorites,  for  it  is  fearless 
and  comes  directly  into  town,  and  takes  genuine  de- 
light in  dodging  the  stones  that  boys  will  throw  at  it 
on  every  occasion.  It  is  not  deterred  from  swim- 
ming in  the  streams  of  its  forefathers,  even  though 
befouled  with  factory  refuse.  Again,  it  will  keep  you 
company,  when  paddling  about  in  the  solitary  crooks 
and  turns  of  little  inland  creeks,  keeping  you  in  sight, 
but  never  in  your  way ;  lively  by  action,  but  uttering 
no  useless  words ;  a  type  of  companion  hard  enough 
to  find  among  the  unfeathered  bipeds. 

This  completes  the  undertaking  as  outlined  in  the 
opening  pages.  I  promised  to  conclude  with  the 
Dabchick  and  have  done  so  ;  but  one  duty  remains : 
to  beg  the  Diver's  pardon  for  speaking  ill  of  it  when 
thinking  of  the  tuneful  thrushes.  I  trust  what  I 
have  said  in  proper  place  will  make  amends  for  the 
unintentional  slight;  and  now  I  have  but  to  hope 
that  this  glance  at  North  American  bird-life  will  aid 
in  bringing  about  a  proper  feeling  for  all  our  birds, — 
a  feeling  that  will  induce  us  all  to  make  serious  efforts 
to  check  the  persecution  to  which  they  are  subjected. 
It  will  be  a  sorry  day  when  the  ornithological  litera- 
ture of  our  country  will  be  classed  by  librarians  as  a 
department  of  Ancient  History. 


INDEX. 


Accentors,  65. 
Albatross,  263. 
Auk,  Great,  277. 

Little,  277. 
Auklets,  277. 
Auks,  277. 
Avocet,  202. 

B. 

Bittern,  223. 

Least,  225. 
Blackbird,  Brewer's,  135. 

Red-winged,  29,  49,  129. 

Sheep,  127. 

Yellow-headed,  128. 
Bluebird,  31,  52,  115. 
Bobolink,  126. 
Bob-white,  52,  187. 
Breakbones,  260. 
Bunting,  Beautiful,  in. 

Black-throated,  in. 

Lazuli,  in. 

Painted,  in. 

Varied,  xxi. 
Butcher-birds,  74. 
Butter-ball,  247. 


Canary,  103. 

Cat-bird,  50,  52,  68,  121. 

Cedar-bird,  75. 

Chat,  Yellow-breasted,  56,  63. 

Chatterer,  Bohemian,  76. 


Chebec,  118. 
Chewink,  68,  105. 
Chickadee,  37. 
Chimney-swallow,  140. 
Chippy,  95,  99. 
Chuck-will's-widow,  140. 
Cock  of  the  Plains,  193. 
Coot,  237. 
Cormorant,  Brandt's,  258. 

Common,  256. 

Double-crested,  256. 

Violet-green,  258. 
Cow-bird,  127. 

Bronzed,  128. 
Cow-bunting,  127. 
Crane,  Brown,  232. 

Sandhill,  232. 

Whooping,  231. 
Cross-bills,  91. 
Crow,  125. 

Fish,  125. 

Crow-blackbird,  135. 
Cuckoo,  Black-billed,  154. 

Ground, 154. 

Yellow-billed,  154,  156. 

D. 

Dabchick,  280. 
Darter,  259. 
Devil-diver,  280. 
Dickcissal,  III. 
Dipper,  American,  53. 
Dove,  Ground,  197. 
Turtle,  187,  196. 
Duck,  Black,  245,  249. 


283 


284 


INDEX. 


Duck,  Broad-billed,  250. 

0. 

Canvas-back,  250. 

Gallinule,  Florida,  236. 

Eider,  250. 

Purple,  236. 

Golden-eyed,  245. 

Gannet,  361. 

Red-headed,  250. 

Gnatcatcher,  Blue-gray,  33. 

Ruddy,  250. 

Goatsuckers,  138. 

Sprig-tailed,  245. 

Golden-gabbler,  133. 

Whistler,  250. 

Goose,  Brant,  244. 

Wood,  246. 

Canada,  9W- 

Snow,  244. 

E. 

White-fronted,  244 

Eagle,  Bald,  172. 

Goshawk,  168. 

Golden,  172. 

Grakle,  Purple,  49,  135. 

Egret,  American,  228. 

Rusty,  135. 

Euphonia,  Blue-headed,  84. 

Grass  Plover,  209. 

Grebe,  Holboell's,  280. 

F. 

Horned,  280. 

Falcon,  Peregrine,  174. 
Winter,  170. 
Feather-boots,  171. 

Grebes,  277. 
Greenlets,  67. 
Grosbeak,  Black-headed,  no. 

Finch,  Foxie,  104. 

Blue,  no. 

Grass,  95. 

Cardinal,  107. 

Grasshopper,  96. 

Evening,  89. 

Indigo,  88,  no. 
Purple,  90. 

Pine,  96. 
Rose-breasted,  n,  78,  109. 

Sea-side,  97. 
Sharp-tailed,  96. 
Fire-robin,  133. 

Grouse,  Canada,  189. 
Dusky,  189. 
Pinnated,  192. 

Flicker,  Golden-winged,  152. 
Flood-gull,  215. 
Flycatcher,  Acadian,  117. 
Fork-tailed,  113. 

Ruffed,  189. 
Sharp-tailed,  193. 
Guillemots,  277. 
Gull,  Black-headed,  268. 

Great-crested,  114. 

Herring,  269. 

Least,  118. 

Laughing,  268. 

Olive-sided,  116. 

Mackerel,  272. 

Say's,  115. 

Summer,  272. 

Traffl's,  118. 

Gyrfalcon,  174. 

Yellow-bellied,  117. 

Flycatchers,  Tyrant,  113. 

Bi 

Flysnapper,  75. 

Hang-nest,  133. 

Fly-up-the-Creek,  228. 

Hawk,  Black,  171. 

Fulmar,  Giant,  260. 

Broad-winged,  170. 

INDEX. 


285 


Hawk,  Chicken,  168. 

Cooper's,  168. 

Duck,  174. 

Fish,  176. 

Marsh,  166. 

Red-shouldered,  170. 

Red-tailed,  169. 

Sharp-shinned,  167. 

Sparrow,  49,  175. 
Hawks,  165. 
Hazel-hen,  240. 
Heron,  Great  Blue,  227. 

Green,  228. 

Little  Blue,  227. 

Night,  229. 
Yellow-crowned,  231. 

Snowy,  228. 
High-hole,  152. 
Humming-bird,  81,  141. 


Ibis,  Glossy,  222. 
Scarlet,  221. 
White,  221. 
Wood,  233. 


Jaegers,  266. 
Jay,  Blue,  52,  121. 

Canada,  122. 

Steller's,  123. 

K. 

King-bird,  114. 
Kingfisher,  Common,  157. 

Texan,  157. 
Kinglet,  Golden-crowned,  33. 

Ruby-crowned,  33. 
Kite,  Blue,  165. 

Everglade,  166. 

Swallow-tailed,  165. 
Kittiwakes,  266. 


Lark,  Horned,  119. 
Meadow,  131. 

Western,  132. 
Linnets,  92. 
Lobe-foot,  ao2. 
Long-spur,  Lapland,  88,  94. 
Loon,  279. 
Loons,  377. 


Magpie,  xaz. 

Mallard,  245. 

Martin,  77. 

Mocking-bird,  51. 

Moose-bird,  122. 

Mother  Carey's  Chickens,  263. 

Motmots,  157. 

Murres,  277. 

Myrtle-bird,  51. 

N. 

Night-hawk,  139. 
Noddy,  261. 

Nut  cracker,  Clarke's,  126. 
Nuthatch,  White-bellied,  35. 
Red-bellied,  35. 

O. 

Oriole,  Baltimore,  13^. 

Orchard,  134. 
Orioles,  133. 
Ortolan,  126. 
Ouzel,  53. 
Oven-birds,  56,  65. 
Owl,  Acadian,  181. 

Barn,  178. 

Barred,  180. 

Burrowing,  184. 

Cat,  179. 

Great  Gray,  x8x. 


286 


INDEX. 


Owl,  Great  Homed,  183.                                                 Q. 

Hawk,  184. 
Little  Red,  114,  182. 

Quail,  187. 
Head,  96. 

Long-eared,  179. 

Pygmy,  185. 

R. 

Short-eared,  180. 

Snowy,  183. 

Rail,  Clapper,  233. 

Owls,  178. 

King,  234. 

Oyster-catchers,  215. 

Virginia,  235. 
Yellow-breasted,  236. 

Raven,  123. 

P. 

White-necked,  124. 

Razor-bill,  275. 

Paroquet,  Carolina,  158. 

Red-bird,  Cardinal,  u,  so. 

Partridge,  Mountain,  188. 

Summer,  84,  107. 

Peabody-bird,  98. 

Winter,  107. 

Pelican,  253. 

Redpolls,  92. 

Brown,  255. 

Redstart,  61. 

Petrel,  262. 

Reed-bird,  126. 

Pewee,  54,  115. 

Rice-bird,  126. 

Wood,  116. 

Robin,  29,  52. 

Phalarope,  Red,  201. 

Swamp,  26. 

Wilson's,  202. 

Rut-runner,  95. 

Phalaropes,  201. 

Phoebe-bird,  115. 

Black,  115. 

S. 

Pigeon,  Passenger,  194. 

Sand-piper,  Least,  211. 

Wild,  187. 

Semi-palmated,  an. 

Pigeon-hawk,  168. 

Solitary,  208. 

Pine-finch,  93. 

Spotted,  54,  207. 

Pine-linnet,  93. 

Sapsucker,  144. 

Pine-siskin,  93. 

Yellow-bellied,  147. 

Pipilo,  106. 

Sawbills,  245. 

Pipit,  Sprague's,  55. 

Scoter,  250. 

Plover,  Black-bellied,  211. 

Sea-swallow,  271. 

Golden,  an. 

Shearwater,  261. 

Killdeer,  214. 

Sheep  Blackbird,  127. 

Piping,  212. 

Sheldrakes,  245. 

Semi-palmated,  212. 

Shrike,  Great  Northern,  74. 

Wilson's,  212. 

Loggerhead,  74. 

Prairie-chicken,  192.  ' 

Shrikes,  74. 

Ptarmigan,  Willow,  192. 

Skimmer,  275. 

Puffins,  277. 

Skua,  266. 

INDEX. 


287 


Snake-bird,  359. 

Tern,  Least,  274. 

Snipe,  205. 

Wilson's,  271. 

English,  205. 

Thrasher,  48,  52. 

Gray,  205. 

Thrush,  Hermit,  26. 

Robin,  205. 

Olive-backed,  28. 

Wilson's,  205. 

Swainson's,  28. 

Snow-bird,  88,  100. 

Varied.  30. 

Snow-bunting,  93. 

Wood,  24. 

Snow-flake,  <J8.  93. 

Titlark,  55. 

Sora,  235. 

Titmouse,  Black-capped,  37. 

Sparrow,  English,  41,  78. 

Crested,  38,  44. 

Field,  99. 

Tree-creeper,  Brown,  39. 

Marsh.  82,  102. 

Tricolors,  131. 

Song,  101. 

Trogons,  157. 

Swamp,  102. 

Troopial,  Yellow-headed,  129. 

Tree.  98. 

Turkey,  Wild,  194,  240. 

Vesper,  95. 

Turkey-buzzard,  162. 

White-crowned,  97. 

Turnstone,  215. 

White-throated,  98. 

Turtle-dove,  196. 

Spoon-bill,  220. 

Stilt,  202. 

V. 

Swallow,  Bank,  77,  80. 

Bam,  77,  82. 
Chimney,  140. 
Cliff,  77.  79- 
Crescent,  79. 

Veery,  25. 
Vireo,  Red-eyed,  68. 
Warbling,  68,  72. 
White-eyed,  68,  70. 
Yellow-throated,  68. 

Eave,  79. 
Rocky  Mountain,  79. 

Vulture.  Black,  161. 

Rough-winged,  77,  83. 

W. 

Violet-green,  77. 
White-bellied,  77,  82. 

Wagtails.  65. 

Swallows,  54,  77. 

Warbler,  Black  and  White  Tree- 

Swamp-robin,  26. 
Swan,  Trumpeter,  242. 

creeping,  60. 
Black-throated  Green,  58. 

Whistling,  242. 

Hooded,  60. 

Swift,  140. 

Parula,  60. 

Summer,  58. 

T. 

Worm-eating,  60. 

Yellow  Red-poll,  57. 

Tanager,  Hepatic,  84. 

Yellow  Rumped,  59. 

Louisiana,  84. 

Warblers,  55. 

Scarlet,  u,  84. 

Water-thrushes,  56,  65. 

Teal,  245. 

Water-turkey,  259. 

288 


INDEX. 


Waxwing,  76. 

Woodpeckers,  52,  115,  143. 

Whippoorwill,  52,  138. 

Wood-robin,  52. 

Whiskey  Jack,  122. 

Wood-warblers,  56. 

Widgeon,  245. 

Wren,  Bewick's,  46. 

Woodcock,  203. 

Cactus,  46. 

Woodpecker,    Arctic    Three-toed, 

Carolina,  44. 

146. 

House,  41. 

Downy,  144. 

Marsh,  47,  82. 

Hairy,  144. 

Winter,  43,  54. 

Ivory-billed,  144. 

Pileated,  149.    . 

Red-bellied,  151. 

• 

Red-cockaded,  146. 

Yellow-birds,  93. 

Red-headed,  150. 

Yellow-throat,  Maryland,  62 

THE   END. 


A     000103556     7 


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